Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Springfield, MO

May 25, 1989McDonald County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1989, 6:49 PM CDT for McDonald County, Missouri. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 25, 1989, 6:49 PM CDT (23:49 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1989, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Springfield, MO
Area
Whole counties

County McDonald County, MO

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

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 57 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1989-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1394 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1989-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 288 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1394 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-275 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
973 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
288 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
296 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KSGF 252349
TORSGF
MOC119-260015-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
649 PM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF MISSOURI
      NORTHERN MCDONALD

AT 648PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ABOUT 25 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF JOPLIN MISSOURI OR JUST SOUTH OF SENECA MISSOURI.

THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...TAKE SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

 GJ

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

Local storm report, May 25, 1:59 PM CDT, 4 hours 50 minutes before
POST STORM SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
150PM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

DELAYED TORNADO REPORTS FOR MAY 22, 1989...
22/1-130AN CDT SMALL TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 7NNE WSO SGF ALONG GREENE
     COUNTY FARM ROAD WW NEAR MISSOURI HIGHWAY 13. LARGE OAK TREES
     UPROOTED POINTING DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, OTHER TREES SHEARED OFF,
     LARGE BUILDING DEMOLISHED, AND FENCE DESTROYED. PATH VERY SHORT.
     FPP 211
   1-115AM CDT RESIDENT IN SE SPRINGFIELD VIDEO TAPED FUNNEL AS IT
      PASSED OVER HIS RESIDENCE. NO TOUCHDOWN.
   415AM LARGE METAL BUILDING DEMOLISHED NEAR PURDY ALONG HIGHWAY 37.
         SEVERAL MOBIL HOMES BLOWN OFF FOUNDATIONS JUST NORTH NEAR
         COUNTY ROAD BB AND 37f. BOTH IN BARRY COUNTY.

VALDEMAR

The office that day

Everything else NWS Springfield, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 7:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede, Webster31 min
May 25, 6:29 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFNewton46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 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.