Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 13, NWS Norman, OK
NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at Oct 29, 1989, 5:45 PM CST for Washita County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 30 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
- Oct 29, 1989, 5:45 PM CST (23:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 29, 1989, 6:15 PM CST
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Norman, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Washita County, OK
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 5:47 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Washita, OK | |
| Oct 29, 6:00 PM CST | Hail 0.75 | Washita, OK |
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
Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 145 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
- 308 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -131 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 720 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 15 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 127 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 119 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 KOKC 292346 TOROKC OKC149-300015- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 545 PM CST SUN OCT 29 1989 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OKLAHOMA CITY HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING OKLAHOMA LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA ...EASTERN WASHITA COUNTY THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WASHITA COUNTY HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A TRONADO WARNING. AT 544...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAD BEGUN TO SHOW SIGNS OF ROTATION. THE STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF LAKE VALLEY AND WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. 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 W`INDOWS.
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, Oct 29, 12:19 PM CST, 5 hours 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 1215 PM CST SUN OCT 29 1989 ...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM NEAR CHILDRESS... JUST BEFORE THE NOON HOUR...AN ISOLATED BUT VERY STORNG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED JUST SOUTHEAST OF CHILDRESS. THIS IS IN THE VICINITY OF THE COLD FRONT OR WIND SHIFT LINE. CHILDRESS WAS REPORTING A NORTHWEST WIND. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF HARDEMAN COUNTY IN THE NEXT HOUR. PERSONS IN QUANAH...ACME AND GOODLETT MAY EXPERIENCE VERY STORNG WIND ACCOMANIED BY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THIS AREA MAY SEE FURTHER MORE WIDESPREAD DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. ELSEWHERE...VERY COLD NOON-TIME TEMPERATURES WERE NOTED FURTHER NORTHWEST IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AND IN EASTERN COLORADO. TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 30S WERE EAST OF THE FRONT RANGE IN COLORADO. THIS AIRMASS WILL AFFECT THE WICHITA FALLS ARE A ON MONDAY WITH TEMPERATURES SOME 30 DEGREES COLDER THAN TODAY HIGH. GUSTY NORTHWEST WIND WILL GIVE THIS REGION THE LOWEST WIND CHILL FACTORS OF THE FALL SEASON.
Special weather statement, Oct 29, 12:25 PM CST, 5 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 120PM CST SUN OCT 29 1989 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNTIES...ARCHER...BAYLOR..CLAY... FOARD...HARDEMAN...KNOX...WICHITA...WILBARGER AND YOUNG. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR HARDEMAN COUNTY HAS EXPIRED. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT PASSED WESTERN SECTIONS OF HARDEMAN COUNTY CROSSED THE RED RIVER AROUND 1PM CST INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA. THIS STORM CONTINUES TO TRACK NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. ELSEWHERE...LIGHTER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE SCATTERED ALONG AND NORTH OF THE RED RIVER FROM MONTAGUE COUNTY TO WILBARGER COUNTY. THI S ACTIVIITY WAS ALSO MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST. THE COLD FRONT CURRENTLY NEAR CHILDRESS IS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE WICHITA FALLS VICINITY NEAR SUNSET.
Special weather statement, Oct 29, 1:05 PM CST, 4 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 205 PM CST SUN OCT 29 1989 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNTIES...ARCHER...BAYLOR..CLAY... FOARD...HARDEMAN...KNOX...WICHITA...WILBARGER AND YOUNG. NO SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER IN THIS SECTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. NORTH OF THE RED RIVER...A BAND OF THUNDERSTORVMS WERE LOCATED WEST OF THE ARDMORE VICINITY EXTENDING NORTH INTO EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. ELSEWHERE...PATCHES OF RAINSHOWERS WERE IN PROGRESS NEAR LAWTON AND FREDERICK.
Special weather statement, Oct 29, 2:10 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 305 PM CST SUN OCT 29 1989 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNTIES...ARCHER...BAYLOR..CLAY... FOARD...HARDEMAN...KNOX...WICHITA...WILBARGER AND YOUNG. AN ISOLATED BUT VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS IN PROGRESS OVER PORTIONS OF FOARD COUNTY FROM COPPER BREAKS STATE PARK TO JUST WEST OF CROWELL. MOVEMENT WAS TOWARDS THW NORTHEAST. PERSONS IN CROWELL AND ALONG THE PEASE RIVER NEAR COPPER BREAKS SHOULD EXPECT VERY STRONG GUSTY WIND...HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS PORTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS ARE EXPECTED TO& BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND POSSIBILITY SEVERE IN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS. PERSONS IN HARDEMAN...FOARD...KNOX...AND WILBARGER COUNTIES SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY ALERT TO THESE DEVELOPMENTS.
Local storm report, Oct 29, 3:13 PM CST, 2 hours 32 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
312 PM CST SUN OCT 29 1989
COUNTY TIME EVENT
JACKSON 302 PM 1 INCH HAIL SOUTH OF ALTUS
JACKS~ON 311 PM 2 INCH HAIL SOUTH END OF ALTUS
AFB RUNWAY.The office that day
Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 3:02 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 28 min |
| Oct 29, 4:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Kiowa | 30 min |
| Oct 29, 4:31 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 44 min |
| Oct 29, 4:42 PM CST | Tornado Warning | OUN | Kiowa | 33 min |
| Oct 29, 5:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Tillman | 59 min |
| Oct 29, 5:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson, Kiowa | 53 min |
| Oct 29, 5:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Comanche | 53 min |
| Oct 29, 5:29 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Washita | 46 min |
| Oct 29, 5:36 PM CST | Tornado Warning | OUN | Tillman | 39 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 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.