Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 28, NWS Amarillo, TX

June 12, 1989Donley County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at Jun 12, 1989, 12:02 AM CDT for Donley County, Texas. It was in force for 28 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 12, 1989, 12:02 AM CDT (05:02 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 1989, 12:30 AM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Donley County, TX

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 12, 12:02 AM CDTTornado F0Donley, TX
Jun 12, 12:07 AM CDTTornado F0Donley, TX
Jun 12, 12:08 AM CDTTornado F0Donley, TX

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 86 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1989-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1774 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1989-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 92 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1774 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-98 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1519 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KAMA 120502
TORAMA
TXC129-120530-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1202 AM CDT MON JUN 12 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
          ...DONLEY
 
AT 1201 AM CDT...AMARILLO RADAR INDICATES A TORNADO ABOUT 3 MILES
NORTH OF CLARENDON. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MILES
AN HOUR.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR4.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 11, 7:31 PM CDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
TTAASP KAMA 120031
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
735 PM CDT SUN JUN 11 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM FOR THE TEXAS
  AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES...AND THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR DALLAM COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

AT 725 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN
THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...THE NORTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE...AND NORTHEAST
NEW MEXICO.  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF BOISE CITY
IN THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND IN THE VICINITY OF DALHART OF THE
NORTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT BRIEF PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WIND...AND SMALL HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 9:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
TTAASP KAMA 120242
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
940 PM CDT SUN JUN 11 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM FOR THE TEXAS
  AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES...

AT 934 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN
THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...
NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO...NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS.  THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS IN THE WEST CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE...BETWEEN
BUSLAND AND THE NEW MEXICO STATE LINE...5 MILES EAST OF STINNETT...AND
IN THE VICINITY OF LIBERAL KANSAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 15 MILES AN
HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT BRIEF PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WIND...AND SMALL HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 11:54 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1150 PM CDT SUN JUN 11 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM FOR THE
SOUTHEAST THIRD OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...

AT 1131 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...
15 MILES WIDE...FROM THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...
TO THE VICINITY OF MCLEAN...THEN TO JUST EAST OF CANYON. VERY HEAVY
RAIN WAS IN THIS LINE ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.  OTHER
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS...WESTERN OKLAHOMA
...AND THE SOUTHEAST THIRD OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. MOVEMENT OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS WAS EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THE)SE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT BRIEF PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WIND...AND SMALL HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Amarillo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 10:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAArmstrong67 min
Jun 11, 10:56 PM CDTTornado WarningAMACarson, Gray49 min
Jun 12, 12:18 AM CDTTornado WarningAMAHall57 min
Jun 12, 12:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMABriscoe58 min
Jun 12, 12:49 AM CDTTornado WarningAMAChildress56 min
Jun 12, 1:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAArmstrong69 min
Jun 12, 2:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAArmstrong, Briscoe61 min
Jun 12, 3:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHall69 min
Jun 12, 4:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAWheeler64 min
Jun 12, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAWheeler59 min
Jun 12, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAGray66 min
Jun 12, 6:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACarson, Potter68 min
Jun 12, 6:46 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningAMAWheeler99 min
Jun 12, 6:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAWheeler59 min
Jun 12, 6:50 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAPotter40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.