Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Lubbock, TX
NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1989, 4:33 PM CDT for Motley County, Texas. It was in force for 42 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1989, 4:33 PM CDT (21:33 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1989, 5:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lubbock, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Motley 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
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 154 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
- 93 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -83 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1018 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 67 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 172134
TORLBB
TXC345-172215-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
433 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
...NORTHEASTERN MOTLEY
AT 423 PM CDT...THE MATADOR FIRE DEPARTMENT OBSERVED A TORNADO 4 TO 5
MILES NORTHEAST OF THE CITY OF MATADOR. THIS TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND
AS OF 433 PM CDT. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES
AN HOUR. ALL RESIDENTS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO SHOULD TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENTT. 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 17, 10:52 AM CDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1045 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1989 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO WESTERN BAILEY COUNTY... AT 1045 AM CDT...RADAR INDICATED AN ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM SITUATED ALONG THE STATE LINE IN WESTERNMOST BAILEY COUNTY...ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY OF MULESHOE. THIS STORM APPEARED CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. IT WAS MOVING NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL LIKELY AFFECT THE BOVINA AND FRIONA AREA WITHIN THE HOUR. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTH PLAINS LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION ...OR TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 17, 12:33 PM CDT, 4 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1230 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN
SOUTH PLAINS COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM CDT...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
THE SOUTH PLAINS...BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...
DICKENS AND KING.
AT 1228 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CROSSINB THE
BAILEY COUNTY LINE MOVING INTO SOUTHERN PARMER COUNTY. AT 1125 PM CDT
THE BAILEY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTED PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL
THAT COVERED THE HIGHWAY 12 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF MULESHOE. THE HAIL
WAS SO DEEP THAT VEHICLES COULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. THIS STORM EARLIER
HAD PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL. IT WAS MOVING NORTH AT 20 MILES
AN HOUR.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR PERIODIC STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.Special weather statement, May 17, 1:09 PM CDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
108 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN
SOUTH PLAINS COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM CDT...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
THE SOUTH PLAINS...BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...
DICKENS AND KING.
AT 105 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER THE
NORTHERN HALF OF BAILEY COUNTY. THIS STORM CONTINUED TO PRODUCE PEA
TO OCCASIONALLY MARBLE SIZED HAIL FROM PROGRESS TO EAST OF MULESHOE AND
NORTH TO THE PARMER COUNTY LINE. IT WAS MOVING NORTH AT 15 MILES AN
HOUR. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED FURTHER S3OUTHEAST IN LAMB AND
SOUTHERN BAILEY COUNTY...AND OVER GARZA COUNTY.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR PERIODIC STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.Special weather statement, May 17, 1:49 PM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
150 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN
SOUTH PLAINS COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM CDT...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
THE SOUTH PLAINS...BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...
DICKENS AND KING.
AT 147 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING OVER
THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. STRONGEST THUNDESTORMS WERE IN
NORTHERN BAILEY COUNTY...AND NEAR PLAINVIEW AND FLOYDADA. ACTIVITY WAS
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS ARE ADVISED TO KEEP UP ON THE
LATESiT WEATHER INFORMATION BY LISTENING TO COMMERCIAL TELEVISION...
RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO.Special weather statement, May 17, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
230 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN
SOUTH PLAINS COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM CDT...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
THE SOUTH PLAINS...BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...
DICKENS AND KING.
AT 225 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN
PROGRESS OVER THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. THE
STORMS OVER NORTHERN HALE AND FLOYD COUNTIES WERE RESULTING IN SMALL
HAIL AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN. A SMALL FUNNEL CLOUD APPEARED BRIEFLY
NEAR THE PROVIDENCE AREA OF NORTHWEST FLOYD COUNTY. ACTIVITY WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
RESIDENTS OF THE NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS SHOULD KEEP UP ON THE LATEST IN
WEATHER INFORMATION. MORE STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS WILL FOLLOW.Special weather statement, May 17, 3:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
305 PM CDT WED MAY 17 1989
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN
SOUTH PLAINS COUNTIES UNTIL 600 PM CDT...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
THE SOUTH PLAINS...BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...
DICKENS AND KING.
AT 305 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING OVER
THE SOUTH PLAINS. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE SITUATED JUST NORTHWEST
OF PLAINVIEW...BETWEEN MATADOR AND FLOYDADA AND BETWEEN CLAIREMONT AND
DICKENS. ACTIVITY WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
SOME THUNDERSTORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND BRIEFLY HEAVY
RAINFALL. RESIDENTS OF THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS ARE
ADVISED TO KEEP UP ON THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION BY TUNING IN TO
LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...OR TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO.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, 12:50 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Terry | 70 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 |
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.