Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Fort Worth, TX

March 13, 1990Wilbarger County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Mar 13, 1990, 8:13 PM CST for Wilbarger County, Texas. It was in force for 47 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
Mar 13, 1990, 8:13 PM CST (02:13 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 1990, 9:00 PM CST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Wilbarger County, TX

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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 13, 8:30 PM CSTHail 2.75Wilbarger, TX
Mar 13, 8:48 PM CSTHail 1.75Wilbarger, TX

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, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 211 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1990-03-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1624 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1990-03-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
1624 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
695 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPS 140215 RRA
TORSPS
TXC487-140300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
813 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA FALLS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...WILBARGER COUNTY
 
AT 813 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO AND A PILOT REPORTED A
POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST WEST OF THALIA ON THE WILBARGER COUNTY LINE.
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. THIS STORM IS HEADED TOWARD VERNON
AT THE PRESENT TIME.
 
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, Mar 13, 3:48 PM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes before
TXZ019>033-132300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
345 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING IN NORTHWEST TEXAS...
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WISE AND COOKE COUNTIES
   UNTIL 9 PM CST...

THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING IN THE MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE
AIR IN NORTHWEST TEXAS JUST AHEAD OF A DRY LINE...WHICH WAS LOCATED
FROM 20 MILES WEST OF WICHITA FALLS TO 40 MILES WEST OF SAN ANGELO.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE FORMING FROM JUST SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA FALLS
TO NEAR ABILENE.  THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY UNSTABLE IN NORTHWEST AND
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...AND THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO INCREASE
IN INTENSITY...POSSIBLY BECOMING SEVERE.

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PART OF NORTHWEST TEXAS UNTIL
9 PM...AND INCLUDES THE COUNTIES WISE AND COOKE.

RESIDENTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST TEXAS SHOULD STAY ALERT
FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 5:09 PM CST, 3 hours 4 minutes before
TXZ019>033-140000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
515 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR WISE AND COOKE COUNTIES
   UNTIL 9 PM CST...

AT 5 PM CST WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
WICHITA FALLS SOUTHWEST TO NEAR THROCKMORTON. THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE LOCATED NEAR WICHITA FALLS.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY UNSTABLE IN NORTHWEST AND  NORTH CENTRAL
TEXAS...THEREFORE SOME INCREASE INTENSITY IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS
AS THEY TRACK NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR.

RESIDENTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST TEXAS SHOULD STAY ALERT
FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
STAY TUNED} TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 6:09 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes before
TXZ021-026-140100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
610 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR WISE AND COOKE COUNTIES
   UNTIL 9 PM CST...

AT 6 PM CST WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS SOME PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL CONTINUED FROM NEAR WICHITA FALLS SOUTHWEST TO NEAR SEYMOUR.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY UNSTABLE IN NORTHWEST AND  NORTH CENTRAL
TEXAS...THEREFORE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE
TONIGHT OVER THE WATCH AREA.

RESIDENTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST TEXAS SHOULD STAY ALERT
FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
SPTAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 13, 6:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWichita69 min
Mar 13, 6:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFisher, Stonewall60 min
Mar 13, 7:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWichita52 min
Mar 13, 7:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFisher, Jones, Nolan67 min
Mar 14, 12:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHardeman42 min
Mar 14, 2:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDClay31 min
Mar 14, 3:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell, Falls67 min
Mar 14, 3:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDLimestone, McLennan63 min
Mar 14, 4:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHenderson53 min
Mar 14, 7:38 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDLimestone3 hr
Mar 14, 8:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDHenderson3 hr
Mar 14, 8:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCoryell67 min
Mar 14, 9:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBosque, McLennan60 min
Mar 14, 9:51 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHill, McLennan69 min
Mar 14, 10:04 AM CSTTornado WarningFWDHill56 min
Mar 14, 10:25 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDDallas2 hr
Mar 14, 10:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFalls, Limestone69 min
Mar 14, 11:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKaufman41 min
Mar 14, 11:34 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHunt, Rains56 min
Mar 14, 11:49 AM CSTTornado WarningFWDRains, Van Zandt41 min
Mar 14, 11:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta, Hopkins, Lamar65 min
Mar 14, 12:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFalls66 min
Mar 14, 2:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCherokee, Smith53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.