Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Amarillo, TX

March 9, 1990Potter County, Randall County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this flash flood warning at Mar 9, 1990, 8:00 PM CST for Potter County, Randall County, Texas. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 9, 1990, 8:00 PM CST (02:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 9, 1990, 9:00 PM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Potter County, TX, Randall 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 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 18 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-03-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 656 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-03-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
656 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1657 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAMA 100200
FFWAMA
TXC375-381-100300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
800 PM CST FRI MAR 9 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CST
AND A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
          ...POTTER...RANDALL
 
AT 755 PM CST..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFAL CONTINUE
FROM AMARILO TEXAS TO CANYON. STORM SPOTTERS WERE REPORTING FLOODING
OF UNDERPASSES AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREASIN CANYON WAS ALSO
REPORTED.  GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED IN SOUTHWEST AMARILLO
AND IN CANYON. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT
25 MILES AN HOUR.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN/ INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Mar 9, 5:34 PM CST, 2 hours 26 minutes before
TXZ001>012-COZ015>017-NMZ005-009-013-OKZ001>004-009-014-021-
KSZ003-006- 100035 -

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
 535 PM CST FRI MAR 9  1990

 ...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN THE WEST TEXAS PANHANDLE...

AT 525 PM CDT AMARILLO RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...
SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...EXTENDING FROM NEAR DALHART...SOUTH
TO JUST WEST OF HEREFORD...TO NEAR MULESHOE. STRONGEST PORTION OF THE
LINE WAS JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE HEREFORD AREA.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE
EXPECTED AS THE LINE MOVES TO THE EAST.

                     M
Local storm report, Mar 9, 6:27 PM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO, TX
627 PM CST FRI MAR 09 1990

REPORTS FROM EASTERN DEAF SMITH COUNTY..HEREFORD..AND EASTERN OLDHAM COUNTY..
VEGA..INCLUDE PEA SIZE HAIL AND BRIEF GUSTY WINDS.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 6:39 PM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes before
TXZ001>012-COZ015>017-NMZ005-009-013-OKZ001>004-009-014-021-
KSZ003-006- 100030 -

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
 635 PM CST FRI MAR 9  1990

 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
AND MOST OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS TILL 1100 PM TONIGHT ...

AT 630 PM CST...A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN AN AREA
30 MILES WIDE FROM 20 MILES WEST OF GUYMON OKLAHOMA TO SOUTH OF STRATFORD AND
FROM WEST OF BUSHLAND TO NORTHWEST OF DIMMITT. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE
LOCATED 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF WILDORADO AND JUST SOUTHEAST OF HEREFORD.

AT 615 PM PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT HEREFORD AND VEGA BY THE SHERIFFS
OFFICE.
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
KEEP TUNED TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS.  RR
Local storm report, Mar 9, 7:19 PM CST, 41 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO, TX
718 PM CST FRI MAR 09 1990

NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT 7:11 PM IN NORTHERN RANDALL COUNTY..SW AMARILLO.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Amarillo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 9, 6:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACastro62 min
Mar 9, 7:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAPotter, Randall57 min
Mar 9, 7:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMASwisher68 min
Mar 9, 8:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAPotter, Randall60 min
Mar 9, 8:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACarson61 min
Mar 9, 9:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAArmstrong61 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.