Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1989, 5:03 PM CDT for Trinity County, Texas. It was in force for 27 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1989, 5:03 PM CDT (22:03 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1989, 5:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Trinity 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
Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 149 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KHOU 172204
TORHOU
TXC455-172230-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
503 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTHEAST TEXAS
...NORTHEASTERN TRINITY
AT 450 PM DPS REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE THE GROUND IN THE NATIONAL
FOREST NORTH OF APPLE SPRINGS. RADAR SHOWS THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA
MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.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, 2:54 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX...CORRECTION 233 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 AT 230 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE NEAR MONTGOMERY AND ACROSS NORTHWEST TYLER COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 345 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 1000 PM CDT THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING INCLUDING HARRIS AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES....A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE HOUSTON AREA THROUGH TONIGHT... AT 330 PM CDT RADAR INNDICATES A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THUNDERSTORMS FROM JACKINSONVILLE TO LAGRANGE TO GONZALES. THE LINE IS MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD AS THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS AREA HAS MOVED INTO WASHINGTON COUNTY. ANOTHER AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS NEAR TRINITY MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEASJT. EVERYONE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER AT A MOMENTS NOTICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX 350 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR EAST TEXAS ADJOING COASTAL WATERS ...INCLUDING GALVESTON AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES... AT 333 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL 20 MILES WEST OF COLLEGE STATION AND BETWEEN HUNTSVILLE AND LAKE LIVINGSTON. OTHEkR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF AUSTIN TO HOUSTON TO NORTHEAST OF LUFKIN. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:35 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 435 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 1000 PM CDT THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING INCLUDING HARRIS AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES....A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE HOUSTON AREA THROUGH TONIGHT... AT 430 PM CDT RADAR INNDICATES A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THUNDERSTORMS FROM BEEVILLE TO LAKE SOMMERVILLE TO MADINSONVILLE. THE LINE IS MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD AS THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVE NORTHEAST 35 MPH. HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED FROM SPRING THROUGH CONROE TO EAST OF HUNTSVILLE. ANOTHER CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS IS NORTHEAST OF TRINITY MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST. EVERYONE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER AT A MOMENTS NOTICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:44 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX 345 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR EAST TEXAS AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS ...INCLUDING GALVESTON AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES... AT 330 PM CDT .. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN... EXTENDED FROM 15 MILES WEST OF MADISONVILLE TO NEAR SHINER IN LA VACA COUNTY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN.. CONTINUED OVER EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM LUFKIN AND THE SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR SOUTH TO HUMBLE AND EAGLE LAKE. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:47 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX 445 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR EAST TEXAS AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS ...INCLUDING GALVESTON AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES... AT 430 PM CDT .. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN... EXTENDED FROM 15 MILES WEST OF MADISONVILLE TO NEAR SHINER IN LA VACA COUNTY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN.. CONTINUED OVER EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FROM LUFKIN AND THE SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR SOUTH TO HUMBLE AND EAGLE LAKE. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 5:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado | 62 min |
| May 17, 5:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 62 min |
| May 17, 6:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Walker | 57 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.