Alert archive / New Mexico / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Amarillo, TX
NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at May 15, 1989, 3:24 PM MDT for Curry County, Quay County, New Mexico. It was in force for 51 min. 2 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
- May 15, 1989, 3:24 PM MDT (21:24 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 1989, 4:15 PM MDT
- In force
- 51 min
- Issued by
- NWS Amarillo, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Curry County, NM, Quay County, NM
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 3:35 PM MDT | Tornado F1 | Quay, NM | |
| May 15, 3:45 PM MDT | Hail 0.75 | Quay, NM |
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 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 165 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 296 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -211 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 800 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 236 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 258 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 3.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAMA 152127 RRA
TORAMA
NMC009-037-152215-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
424 PM CDT (324 PM MDT) MON MAY 15 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT (415 PM MDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO
...NORTHERN CURRY...SOUTHERN QUAY
AT 422 PM CDT PUBLIC REPORTS AND RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO IN SOUTHERN
QUAY COUNTY EAST OF FORREST. THIS TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH
AND SHOULD ENTER NORTHERN CURRY COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES.
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 FLOOR. 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, May 15, 1:23 PM MDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 220 PM CDT MON MAY 15 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE SOUTH PLAINS OF TEXAS... RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY DEVELOPING OVER THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS NORTHWEST OF LUBBOCK AND OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO NORTHWEST OF CLOVIS AND NEAR TUCUMCARI AT 215 PM. SMALL HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. A VERY MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS CONTINUES OVER THE AREA. THIS UNSTABLE AIRMASS COMBINED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA WILL BE THE IMPETUS FOR SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER THE TEXAS AND O/KLAHOMA PANHANDLES AND OVER NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. PERSONS IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS WHICH MAY BE ISSUED ON THIS DEVELOPING SITUATION. SC
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:49 PM MDT, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
345 PM CDT MON MAY 15 1989
...A SEVERRE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR QUAY COUNTY OF
EAST NEW MEXICO UNTIL 330 MDT...
AT 330 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN QUAY
COUNTY OF EAST NEW MEXICO...AND IN HALE...LYNN...AND GARZA COUNTIES
OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. THE STORM IN SOUTHERN QUAY COUNTY WAS JUST SOUTH
OF RAGLAND AND 10 MILES SOUTH OF QUAY. THIS STORM EARLIER PRODUCED GOLF
BALL SIZE HAIL OVER SOUTHERN QUAY COUNTY. THE SOUTH PLAINS SEVERE
STORMS WERE 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LUBBOCK AND 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
PLAINVIEW. THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS...AND MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN..AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.
THE STORMS IN NEW MEXICO WERE MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND
THOSE IN THE SOUTH PLAINS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE
IMMEDIATELY TO PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.
.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION OR RADIO
STATION FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNIN=GS.
SEASpecial weather statement, May 15, 2:50 PM MDT, 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY ...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
345 PM CDT MON MAY 15 1989
...A SEVERRE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR QUAY COUNTY OF
EAST NEW MEXICO UNTIL 330 MDT...
AT 330 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN QUAY
COUNTY OF EAST NEW MEXICO...AND IN HALE...LYNN...AND GARZA COUNTIES
OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. THE STORM IN SOUTHERN QUAY COUNTY WAS JUST SOUTH
OF RAGLAND AND 10 MILES SOUTH OF QUAY. THIS STORM EARLIER PRODUCED GOLF
BALL SIZE HAIL OVER SOUTHERN QUAY COUNTY. THE SOUTH PLAINS SEVERE
STORMS WERE 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LUBBOCK AND 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
PLAINVIEW. THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS...AND MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN..AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.
THE STORMS IN NEW MEXICO WERE MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND
THOSE IN THE SOUTH PLAINS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE
IMMEDIATELY TO PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.
.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION OR RADIO
STATION FO>R FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
SEAThe office that day
Everything else NWS Amarillo, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1:28 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Quay | 62 min |
| May 15, 2:28 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Quay | 62 min |
| May 15, 4:20 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Quay | 55 min |
| May 15, 5:18 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Quay | 57 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in New Mexico, 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.