Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 45, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 17, 1989Upshur County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1989, 10:25 AM CDT for Upshur County, Texas. It was in force for 65 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 17, 1989, 10:25 AM CDT (15:25 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1989, 11:30 AM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Upshur 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
May 17, 11:00 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Upshur, 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

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 54 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1989-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 207 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1989-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 272 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
207 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-153 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
560 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
217 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 17, 4:44 AM CDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
 445 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOOD CDT TODAY FOR PERSONS IN BELL
   BOSQUE...CORYELL...HILL AND MCLENNAN COUNTIES OF CENTRAL TEXAS...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TIS MORNING FOR MOST OF EAST
   AND CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 435AM CDT WACO WEATHER RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS MODERATE SHOWERS AND
SCATTERED STRONG THUNDESTORMS THROUG MUCH OF CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE HEAVIEST
RAINS WERE IN PARTS OF MCLENNAN...BOSQUE...CORYELL...BELL AND FALLS
COUNTIES.  OTHER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN PARTS OF
LIMESTONE...ROBERTSON...BRAZOS AND HILL COUNTIES.  ALL THE PRECIPITATION
WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.  THE STRONGER STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAIN...FLASH FLOODING...GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND
HAIL.  PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE STORMS ARE URGED TO REMAIN ALERT AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS
ISSUED. 
STAY TUED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.06
Special weather statement, May 17, 5:48 AM CDT, 4 hours 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
 545AM CDT WED MAY 17 1989

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR BOSQUE COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED
   THE THUNDERSTORM HAS BECOME LESS INTENSE AND IS NO LONGER SEVERE...
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT TODAY FOR PART OF CENTRAL
   TEXAS...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TODAY FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND
   NORTH TEXAS...

AT 535AM CDT WACO WEATHR RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS SHOWERS...SCATTERED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS AND A FEW VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
THROUGH MUCH OF CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN WERE OCCURRING IN HILL
COUNTY 15 MILES NORTHWEST AND 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HILLSBORO AND IN
MCLENNAN COUNTY 10 MILES EAST AND 18 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF WACO.
MOVEMENT OF ALL THE PRECIPITATION WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE STRONGER
STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...FLASH FLOODING
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HAIL.
 
THE ALREADY RAINSOAKED GROUNDS ARE CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAINFALL NOW OCCURRING OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS.  IN BOSQUE
COUNTY BRIDGES ARE REPORTED TO BE UNDER WATER ON FM 927 BETWEEN MORGAN
AND LAKESIDE.  PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE HEAVIER RAINFALL ARE URGED TO
NOT TO ATTEMPT TO CROSS HIGH WATER AREAS.  ROADWAYS AND BRIDGES COULD
BE DAMAGED OR WASHED AWAY...SO DO NOT ASSUME THE AREA WOULD BE SAFE TO
CROSS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR T.V. STATIONS)
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.06

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 7:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDJohnson, Parker, Tarrant69 min
May 16, 7:13 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDHood17 min
May 16, 7:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins, Hunt, Rains67 min
May 16, 7:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDVan Zandt67 min
May 16, 7:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDJohnson, Tarrant59 min
May 16, 7:37 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDJohnson38 min
May 16, 7:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCallahan57 min
May 16, 8:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEllis57 min
May 16, 8:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWood57 min
May 16, 8:16 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDEllis44 min
May 16, 8:42 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDDallas, Ellis2 hr
May 16, 8:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas, Ellis, Kaufman65 min
May 16, 9:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDCollin, Hunt, Kaufman, Rockwall2 hr
May 16, 9:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins, Rains, Wood53 min
May 16, 9:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDUpshur53 min
May 16, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHenderson, Van Zandt56 min
May 16, 10:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDHopkins, Rains, Wood3 hr
May 16, 10:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDHenderson, Van Zandt3 hr
May 16, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHenderson, Rains, Smith, Van Zandt, Wood57 min
May 16, 10:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFisher59 min
May 16, 11:16 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDSmith, Wood119 min
May 16, 11:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKnox61 min
May 16, 11:34 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDTarrant2 hr
May 16, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHaskell, Jones65 min
May 16, 11:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDCamp, Upshur3 hr
May 17, 4:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBosque50 min
May 17, 5:19 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDDallas, Johnson, Tarrant5 hr
May 17, 6:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDCollin, Hunt, Rockwall4 hr
May 17, 6:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDMcLennan38 min
May 17, 6:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDFannin3 hr
May 17, 7:36 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDHill, Limestone, McLennan4 hr
May 17, 7:36 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDBosque4 hr
May 17, 7:50 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDCoryell25 min
May 17, 8:15 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDCoryell45 min
May 17, 8:34 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDFreestone3 hr
May 17, 8:57 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDAnderson, Cherokee33 min
May 17, 8:57 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDSmith33 min
May 17, 9:00 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDMcLennan30 min
May 17, 9:31 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDCherokee, Smith29 min
May 17, 9:37 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDAnderson, Henderson, Navarro, Smith113 min
May 17, 9:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell57 min
May 17, 9:56 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDSmith49 min
May 17, 10:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHenderson59 min
May 17, 10:11 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDHenderson64 min
May 17, 10:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFalls58 min
May 17, 11:31 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDAnderson, Freestone, Henderson, Navarro3 hr
May 17, 11:31 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDSmith3 hr
May 17, 11:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDHill, Limestone, McLennan3 hr
May 17, 11:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDCoryell3 hr
May 17, 11:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDFalls3 hr
May 17, 1:04 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDUpshur, Wood3 hr
May 17, 2:29 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDSmith3 hr
May 17, 2:29 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDAnderson, Freestone3 hr
May 17, 2:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDAnderson63 min
May 17, 2:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFreestone43 min
May 17, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCherokee, Smith60 min
May 17, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKnox56 min
May 17, 4:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSmith42 min
May 17, 5:16 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDSmith3 hr
May 17, 5:16 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDAnderson3 hr
May 17, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSmith46 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.