Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 7, NWS Lubbock, TX
NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1989, 12:50 AM CDT for Terry County, Texas. It was in force for 70 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, 12:50 AM CDT (05:50 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1989, 2:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 70 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lubbock, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Terry 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 17, 1:05 AM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Terry, 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
Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 5.8 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3542 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 52 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 150 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 KLBB 170553 RRA
TORLBB
TXC445-170700-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1250 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
...TERRY
AT 1247 PM CDT LUBBOCK RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
OVER SOUTHERN TERRY COUNTY ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF
BROWNFIELD. THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTH NORTHEAST ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN SOUTHERN
TERRY COUNTY SHOULD TAKE COVER NOW.
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 16, 7:46 PM CDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 745 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH MAINLY FOR THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 900 PM CDT... AT 745 PM CDT RADAR WAS INDICATING A GRADUALLY WEAKENING THUNDERSTORM OVER EASTERN COTTLE COUNTY...5 MILES NORTHEAST OF PADUCAH. A SMALL AMOUNT OF DIME TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED 6 MILES WEST OF PADUCAH AT 700 PM CDT. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. RADAR WAS SHOWING NO OTHER THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS. PERSONS IN THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS ARE URGED TO KEEP UP ON THE DEVELOPING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS EVENING. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR T.V. FORS UPDATES AND WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 16, 8:46 PM CDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 845 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH MAINLY FOR THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 900 PM CDT... AT 840 PM CDT THERE WERE NO SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS OCCURING TO THE NORTH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...ROUGHLY FROM HEREFORD TO AROUND AMARILLO. ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE SOUTH...FROM MIDLAND TO AROUND BIG SPRING. KEEP UP ON DEVELOPING WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS THIS EVENING BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR T.V....FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 16, 9:47 PM CDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 945 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ENTIRE SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 400 AM CDT WEDNESDAY... AT 945 PM CDT RADAR WAS INDICATING THAT A SMALL THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED OVER GARZA COUNTY...NOT FAR FROM POST. A FEW OTHER SHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED OVER THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. KEEP UP ON THE CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS TONIGHT BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION.
Special weather statement, May 16, 10:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1041 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ENTIRE SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 400 AM CDT WEDNESDAY... AT 1040 PM CDT RADAR WAS INDICATING A FEW SHOWERS AND SMALL THUNDER- STORMS WERE OVER THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. THESE WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING TO THE SOUTH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. THESE MAY SPREAD INTO PORTIONS OF KENT...TERRY AND YOAKUM COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. A POTENT SITUATION EXISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS TONIGHT AND PERSONS ARE URGED TO KEEP UP ON THE CHANGING CONDITIONS. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...ORb COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION...FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 16, 11:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1142 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS INTENSIFY OVER SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF THE SOUTH PLAINS... ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ENTIRE SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 400 AM CDT WEDNESDAY... AT 1142 PM CDT RADAR WAS INDICATING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY OVER THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHWEST LYNN COUNTY...ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF O DONNEL. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST MOVING INTO SOUTHERN TERRY AND YOAKUM COUNTIES. THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. A POTENT SITUATION EXISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS TONIGHT AND PERSONS ARE URGED TO KEEP UP ON THE CHANGING CONDITIONS. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION...FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lubbock, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 11:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lynn | 64 min |
| May 17, 12:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lubbock, Terry | 65 min |
| May 17, 1:16 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Lynn | 59 min |
| May 17, 1:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 55 min |
| May 17, 11:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Bailey | 56 min |
| May 17, 3:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Dickens | 60 min |
| May 17, 4:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Motley | 56 min |
| May 17, 4:33 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Motley | 42 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.