Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Morristown, TN
NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at May 26, 1989, 9:07 PM EDT for Knox County, Tennessee. It was in force for 38 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 26, 1989, 9:07 PM EDT (01:07 UTC)
- Expired
- May 26, 1989, 9:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 38 min
- Issued by
- NWS Morristown, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Knox County, TN
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 26, 9:30 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Knox, TN |
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
Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 234 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
- 978 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -13 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1606 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 40 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 37 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KTYS 270110
TORTYS
TNC093-270145-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN
907 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KNOXVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN EAST CENTRAL TENNESSEE
...KNOX
A TORNADO WAS SPOTTED IN THE BALLCAMP PIKE OF KNOX COUNTY BY
A WEATHER SPOTTER.
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 26, 6:58 PM EDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN 655 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA... RADAR AT 655 PM INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE MOVING ACROSS LEE..WISE..AND DICKENSON COUNTIES IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. RADAR INDICATES THAT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO SwCOTT..RUSSELL AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT HOUR. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
Special weather statement, May 26, 7:38 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN 725 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA UNTIL 11 PM... RADAR AT 725 PM INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER WASHINGTON..SCOTT..BUCHANAN AND TAZEWELL COUNTIES IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. RADAR INDICATES THAT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE TRI-CITIES OF NORTHEAST TENNESSEE BY 8 PM. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND EAST KENTUCKY. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 26, 8:08 PM EDT, 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHATTANOOGA TN 807 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1988 AT 805 PM EDT THE CHATTANOOGA WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN BLEDSOE COUNTY NORTH OF PIKEVILLE. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 35 MILES PER HOUR. THIS STORM WILL LIKELY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL... VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. PERSONS IN THE PROJECTED PATH OF THIS THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY TO TAKE SHELTER IF NECESSARY. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS MAY ALLOW THIS THUNDERSTORM TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS...SO STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 26, 8:18 PM EDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN 815 PM EDT FRI MAY 27 1989 .....TORNADO WATCH STILL IN EFFECT FOR EAST TENNESSEE... ...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING KNOXVILLE... A NEARLY SOLID LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARD OVER THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU HEADING DIRECTLY TOWARD KNOXVILLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND SOME GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTING. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE WITHIN THE KNOX COUNTY LINE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. STAY ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IF THE NEED ARISES. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR MORE INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES AVAIABLE. REM
Special weather statement, May 26, 8:45 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN 831 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA UNTIL 11 PM... AT 831 PM RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM KINGSPORT TENNESSEE SOUTHWEST TO NEW TAZEWELL. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER NORTHEAST TENNESSEE NEAR MOUNTAIN CITY AND EXTENDED NORTH TO MARION IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA WEST OF THE NEW RIVER AND OVER SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA. ANOTHER LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WAS DETECTED OVER EAST TENNESSEE BETWEEN KNOXVILLE AND CROSSVILLE AND EXTENDED NORTH INTO KENTUCKY TO NEAR LIVINGSTON. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 26, 8:50 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN 845 AM EDT FRI MAY 27 1989 ....VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IN WEST KNOX COUNTY... AT 845 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IN WEST KNOX COUNTY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. IF POSSIBLE REMAIN INDOORS FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR STAY IN YOUR AUTOMOBILE . THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING VIVID FREQUENT LIGHTING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALLS AND HIGH WIND SPE EDS. REM
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 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.