Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Norman, OK
NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at May 13, 1989, 10:59 PM CDT for Washita County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 31 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 13, 1989, 10:59 PM CDT (03:59 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 1989, 11:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 11:15 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | 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 00:00Z, 4.0 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
- 813 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -32 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 880 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 18 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 69 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 0.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KOKC 140359 TOROKC OKC149-140430- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 1059 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OKLAHOMA CITY HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING OKLAHOMA LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA ...EASTERN WASHITA COUNTY AT 1059 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF LAKE VALLEY MOVING TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH. IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.
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 13, 7:08 PM CDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 705 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR KNOX COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED... ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 700 PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCTATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN BAYLOR..KNOX..JING..YOUNG AND THROCKMORTON COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. THESE THUNSERSTORMS HAD BEEN DECREASING IN INTENSITY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS SECTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WyINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MONITER YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:11 PM CDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORECTED SPELLING... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 705 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR KNOX COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED... ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 700 PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCTATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN BAYLOR..KNOX..KING..YOUNG AND THROCKMORTON COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. THESE THUNDSERSTORMS HAD BEEN DECREASING IN INTENSITY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS SECTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MONITER YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:43 PM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 745 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1AM CDT THIS SUNDAY MORNING FOR ARCHER ..BAYLOR..CLAY..JACK..KNOX AND YOUNG COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 740 PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCTATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS JACK..YOUNG..SHAKELFORD..KNOX..KING AND DICKENS COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR ABILENE AND SOUTH OF TRUSCOTT. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS SECTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MONITER YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 8:40 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 840 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1AM CDT THIS SUNDAY MORNING FOR ARCHER ..BAYLOR..CLAY..JACK..KNOX AND YOUNG COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 835 PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCTATTERED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN WICHITA FALLS AND ABILENE..EASTWARD TO STEPHENVILLE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR ABILENE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 15 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS SECTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THIS EVENING WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAIN, ..GUSTY WINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MONITER YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 9:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 945 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1AM CDT THIS SUNDAY MORNING FOR ARCHER ..BAYLOR..CLAY..JACK..KNOX AND YOUNG COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL EXPIRE FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES AT 10 PM CDT... AT 940 PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCTATTERED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN ABILENE AND WACO AND BETWEEN OKLAHOMA CITY AND AMARILLO. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 15 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS SECTION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THIS EVENING WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAIN ..GUSTY WINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MONITER YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 10:42 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 1042 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR ARCHER..BAYLOR..CLAY..JACK.. KNOX AND YOUNG COUNTIES OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... AT 1040 PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCTATTERED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN ABILENE AND WACO AND BETWEEN OKLAHOMA CITY AND AMARILLO. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THIS SEC0TION OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS FOR THE REST OF THIS EVENING WITH BRIEF BUT HEAVY RAIN ..GUSTY WINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. MONITER YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 8:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Choctaw | 54 min |
| May 13, 8:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Choctaw | 34 min |
| May 13, 9:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Caddo, Washita | 53 min |
| May 13, 10:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Caddo, Washita | 49 min |
| May 13, 11:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Caddo | 46 min |
| May 13, 11:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer, Kiowa | 63 min |
| May 14, 12:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Caddo | 65 min |
| May 14, 12:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Kiowa | 46 min |
| May 14, 1:14 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Caddo | 46 min |
| May 14, 1:41 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Grady | 64 min |
| May 14, 2:14 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | McClain | 31 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.