Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Fort Worth, TX

April 3, 1989Rains County, Van Zandt County, Wood County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1989, 10:56 PM CDT for Rains County, Van Zandt County, Wood County, Texas. It was in force for 64 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
Apr 3, 1989, 10:56 PM CDT (03:56 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1989, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Rains County, TX, Van Zandt County, TX, Wood 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
Apr 3, 10:58 PM CDTTornado F1Van Zandt, TX
Apr 3, 11:45 PM CDTHail 0.75Wood, 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 00:00Z, 3.9 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Longview/Gregg, TX at 00:00Z on 1989-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2423 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 00:00Z on 1989-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 128 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
2423 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1767 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
171 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
9.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 040354
TORFTW
TXC379-467-499-040500-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1056 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTHEAST TEXAS
          ...RAINS...NORTHERN VAN ZANDT...WOOD
 
AT 1055 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 8 MILES EAST WILLS
POINT OR EIGHT MILES NORTHWEST GRAND SALINE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
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 4A 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, Apr 3, 5:06 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
505 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...IN SOUTHERN MCLENNAN AND
   WESTERN FALLS COUNTIES...

AT 456 PM CDT A 10 TO 15 MILE WIDE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN...WAS BETWEEN MOODY AND MARLIN. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS
ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF MOODY.

RESIDENTS IN SOUTHERN MCLENNAN AND THE NORTHERN ONE HALF OF FALLS COUNTY
SHOULD EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING. HOWEVER...THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
COME IN THE FORM OF BRIEF GUSTY WINDS...POSSIBLY REACHING AS HIGH AS
50 MILES AN HOUR.

ALSO...A LONE THUNDERSHOWER HAD DEVELOPED A7LONG THE SOUTHWEST BELL/
WILLIAMSON COUNTY LINE. ALL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST
ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.

07
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 6:21 PM CDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
620 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS DISSIPATED OVER MCLENNAN AND FALLS COUNTY...

AT 608 PM CDT THE THUNDERSTORMS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED OVER FALLS AND
MCLENNAN COUNTIES HAD DISSIPATED.

ELSEWHERE...A NEWLY DEVELOPED AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED OVER
WILLIAMSON COUNTY AND EXTENDED NORTHEAST TO ALONG THE EXTREME
SOUTHERN BELL COUNTY LINE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST
ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND MAY MOVE INTO THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PORTIONS
OF BELL COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR....THEN INTO MILAM COUNTY.

RESIDENTS IN EXTREME SOUTHERN BELL COUNTY SHOLD EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINS
...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.
<
07
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:29 PM CDT, 3 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
728 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN NOW IN SOUTH TEXAS...

AT 723 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE NO LONGER OBSERVED OVER CENTRAL TEXAS.

ELSEWHERE...A 10 TO 15 MILE WIDE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY
HEAVY RAIN...WAS FROM NORTHEAST OF LAKE TRAVIS...TO NEAR GRANGER...TO
CENTRAL MILAM COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS EAST NORTHEAST ABOUT 30 MILES AN
HOUR.

THIS WILL BE THE LAST SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FROM THE WACO OFFICE
UNLESS THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA.

07
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:54 PM CDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
850 PM CDT MON APR 04 1989

AT 850 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING FROM JUST NORTHEAST OF CLARKSVILLE TO NEAR
COOPER. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN COOPER AND SULPHUR
SPRINGS AND NORTH OF MOUNT PLEASANT IN TITUS COUNTY. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR BOGATA IN SOUTHERN RED RIVER COUNTY. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE DELTA...RED RIVER COUNTY OR TITUS COUNTIES...YOU
CAN EXPECT DEADLY LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY
SMALL HAIL. STAY INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE PASSED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 8:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDRed River68 min
Apr 3, 8:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta, Hopkins61 min
Apr 3, 9:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFranklin, Titus60 min
Apr 3, 9:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDRains, Van Zandt60 min
Apr 3, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDMorris, Red River58 min
Apr 3, 9:57 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDRains, Van Zandt63 min
Apr 3, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCamp, Franklin, Upshur, Wood69 min
Apr 3, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins69 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.