Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 5, 1989San Saba County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1989, 12:23 AM CDT for San Saba County, Texas. It was in force for 52 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 5, 1989, 12:23 AM CDT (05:23 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 1:15 AM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County San Saba County, TX

The radar

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

The nearest sounding before it

Stephenville/Cla, TX (KSEP), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 137 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 00:00Z on 1989-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3113 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 00:00Z on 1989-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
3113 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1229 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
8.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAUS 050525
TORAUS
TXC411-050615-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
1223 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  115 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
          ...EASTERN SAN SABA
 
RADAR INDICATED ATTORNADO ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF SAN SABA MOVING TOWARD
THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. PERSONS IN BURNET COUNTY SHOULD STAY ALERT TO
CHANGING CONDITIONS AS THIS STORM COULD MOVE INTO BURNET COUNTY.
 
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 4, 9:51 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
950 PM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

...STRONG WINDS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS
   LATE TONIGHT...

VERY INTENSE AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAD ERUPTED OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH
TEXAS THIS EVENING.  VERY STRONG WINDS...AT TIMES GUSTING IN EXCESS OF
50 MPH...HAD DEVELOPED WELL AHEAD OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS AND WAS MOVING
RAPIDLY SOUTHWARD.

THE BOUNDARY OF STRONG WINDS MOVED THROUGH ABILENE TEXAS DURING THE PAST
HOUR...AND IF THESE STRONG WINDS CONTINUE MOVING SOUTH...COULD REACH THE
NORTH PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS LATER TONIGHT...LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

AN UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH NORTH TEXAS WAS PRODUCING
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTH.  AS THE DISTUBANCE MOVES
SOUTHEAST...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATE TONIGHT AND DURING THE PREDAWN
HOURS.

PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS SHOULD LISTEN TO LATER
WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND BE ALERT FOR THE POSSIBLITY OF STRONG WINDS
AND RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, May 4, 11:23 PM CDT, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1123 PM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

...LINE OF VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD SOUTH TEXAS...

VERY DANGEROUS AND FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS
FROM NEAR WACO TO NEAR SAN SABA...MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 70
MPH.  A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 5 AM CDT FRIDAY MORNING.

ALTHOUGH THE TORNADO WATCH DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SAN ANTONIO METRO AREA
AND SURROUNDING HILL COUNTRY AT THE PRESENT TIME...THE LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING WEST AS IT MOVED RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST.

THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WITHIN AND AHEADu
OF THE LINE OF STORMS...ALONG WITH LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES IN NORTH
AND CENTRAL TEXAS THIS EVENING.

PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN TUNED TO LOCAL NEWS
SOURCES OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS.
Special weather statement, May 4, 11:34 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
1135 PM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5AM FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
TEXAS...
IN THIS AREA THE WATCH INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF MILAN AND BURLESON...
BOTH ARE TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST OF AUSTIN.

AT 1135...RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR
SAN SABA EAST TO THE WACO AREA.  THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE
SOUTHEAST AT 60 MPH.   LARGE HAIL, HIGH WINDS AND TORNADO
SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THOSE STORMS IN THE WACO VICINITY.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES
AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.

CONTINUE TO BE ON THE ALERT AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet, Lampasas, San Saba57 min
May 5, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson64 min
May 5, 2:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet44 min
May 5, 2:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBlanco61 min
May 5, 2:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis50 min
May 5, 4:11 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXHays34 min
May 5, 4:13 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXGuadalupe32 min
May 5, 4:25 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell35 min
May 5, 4:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales53 min
May 5, 5:03 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell27 min
May 5, 5:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays67 min
May 5, 6:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXCaldwell, Travis63 min
May 5, 6:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBlanco, Burnet63 min
May 5, 7:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXFayette45 min
May 5, 7:42 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell, Hays63 min
May 5, 8:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales70 min
May 5, 8:38 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell, Fayette32 min
May 5, 8:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales61 min
May 5, 8:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLavaca58 min
May 5, 9:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt62 min
May 5, 10:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt, Lavaca66 min
May 5, 10:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVictoria67 min
May 5, 10:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales51 min
May 5, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt65 min
May 5, 12:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKarnes66 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.