Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 14, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at May 9, 1989, 10:48 PM CDT for Uvalde County, Zavala County, Texas. It was in force for 57 min. 1 report 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 9, 1989, 10:48 PM CDT (03:48 UTC)
- Expired
- May 9, 1989, 11:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 57 min
- Issued by
- NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Uvalde County, TX, Zavala 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 11:30 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Zavala, 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
Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 109 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
- 4013 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2498 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 8 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -8 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 39 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KSAT 100352
TORSAT
TXC463-507-100445-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1048 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1145 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTH TEXAS
...SOUTHWESTERN UVALDE...NORTHWESTERN ZAVALA
AT 1045 PM CDT...UVALDE COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL
CLOUD WEST OF THE CITY OF UVALDE. AT ABOUT THIS SAME TIME...THE
ZAVALA COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 10 MILES
NORTHWEST OF LA PRYOR. BOTH OF THESE FUNNEL CLOUDS DID NOT TOUCH
GROUND AND RETREATED BACK INTO THE CLOUDS OR DISSIPATED. MOVEMENT
OF THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED THESE FUNNEL CLOUDS WAS TOWARD
THE SOUTH AT 10 MPH.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER OR A
CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUILDING.
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY.
LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY
ACCOMPANY THIS STORM.
YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR
SEVVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.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 9, 7:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 740 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN SOUTHEAST LLANO AND SOUTHWEST BURNET COUNTIES. AAT 7030 PM AUSTIN WEATHER RADAR INDICATES... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED WITHIN THE HOUR OVER SOUTHEAST LLANO COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST BURNET COUNTY. SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS. BOATERS ON THE LAKES SHOULD TAKE COVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. LITTLE MOVEMENT HAS BEEN INDICATED AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 9, 8:13 PM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX 815 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989 THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE LOMA ALTA AREA AND HAVE SHOWN VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT. AT 804 PM THE WISTLER RANCH REPORTED SMALL HAIL. ADDITIONAL SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY UNSTABLE AND THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE. PERSONS LOCATED IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF VAL VERDE COUNTY SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. STAY TUNDED FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS CONCERNING THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, May 9, 8:37 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 835 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LLANO AND NORTHWEST CORNER BLANCO COUNTIES... AAT 825 PM CDT WEATHER RADARINDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LLANO AND NORTHWEST CORNER OF BLANCO COUNTIES DRIFTING SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST. SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WIND... BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. BOATERS ON THE COLORADO RIVER IN THE VICINITY OF MARBLES FALLS SHOULD TAKE COVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED ALONG A LINE FROM WEST OF LOTT 4IN FALLS COUNTY...NEAR GEORGETOWN...MARBLE FALLS TO NORTH OF FREDERICKSBURG. MOVEMENT SOUTH AROUND 10 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 9, 9:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
BULLETIN SMALL STREAM FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX 935 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989 AT 930 PM CDT...SATELLITE ESTIMATES OF RAINFALL ALONG THE EDWARDS-VAL VERDE COUNTY LINE BETWEEN ROCKSPRINGS...CARTA VALLEY AND LOMA ALTA HAVE APPROACHED 3 INCHES DURING THE PAST 3 HOURS. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THIS THUNDERSTORM...FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS...LOW-LYING ROADS AND LOW-WATER CROSSINGS IS LIKELY IN PARTS OF EDWARDS AND VAL VERDE COUNTIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS EVENING AND INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. PERSONS IN THE WESTERN PART OF EDWARDS COUNTY...AS WELL AS THOSE IN EASTERN VAL VERDE COUNTY...SHOULD BE ALERT FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING. MOTORISTS ESPECIALLY SHOULD BE WARY TO THE DANGERS POSED BY RAPIDLY RISING WATERS ON LOW-LYING ROADS AND HIGHWAYS AND WHEN APPROACHING FLOODED LOW-WATER CROSSINGS. MOST FLOOD-RELATED DEATHS OCCUR AT NIGHT...SO EXTRA CARE AND CAUTION IS URGED. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION FOR COMPLETE WEATHER INFORMATION THE REST OF THE EVENING AND MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 9, 9:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 935 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED INTO GILLESPIE COUNTY... AT 925 PM CDT AUSTIN WEATHER RADAR INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHEAST CORNER OF GILLESPIE COUNTY MOVING SOUTHWARD NEAR 15 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMG ALONG WITH SHOWERS WERE INDICATED IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF GILLESPIE COUNTY EXTENDING INTO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF MASON COUNTY.
Special weather statement, May 9, 10:28 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX 1030 PM CDT TUE MAY 9 1989 THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR VAL VERDE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED. AT 1030 PM THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN THE DEL RIO AREA AND WILL LIKELY LAST UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT ABOUT 5 MPH. SOME BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA0. STAY TUNDED FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS CONCERNING THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 7:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Edwards | 57 min |
| May 9, 7:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EWX | Edwards | 66 min |
| May 9, 8:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Val Verde | 60 min |
| May 9, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Val Verde | 60 min |
| May 9, 10:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Kinney, Uvalde | 55 min |
| May 9, 11:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EWX | Zavala | 61 min |
| May 10, 2:21 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Bexar | 69 min |
| May 10, 3:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Gonzales, Guadalupe | 56 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.