Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 14, 1990Knox County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at May 14, 1990, 6:51 PM CDT for Knox County, Texas. It was in force for 69 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
May 14, 1990, 6:51 PM CDT (23:51 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 1990, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Knox 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
May 14, 7:10 PM CDTTornado F1Knox, TX
May 14, 7:10 PM CDTHail 2.75Knox, 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

Stephenville/Cla, TX (KSEP), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 217 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1272 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1272 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-377 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1024 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPS 142352
TORSPS
TXC275-150100-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
651 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA FALLS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...KNOX COUNTY
 
AT 645 PM WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 15 MILES WEST
OF KNOX CITY IN EASTERN KING COUNTY. A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED WITH
THIS THUNDERSTORM BY THE KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AT 640 PM.
ALTHOUGH AT THE PRESENT TIME THIS FUNNEL HAS RETREATED BACK INTO THE
STORM ...THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADIC ACTIVITY IS HIGH. RESIDENTS IN KNOCITY AND SOUTHERN KNOX COUNTY SHOULD PREPARE FOR SEVERE WATHER
IMMEDIATELY.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ONO THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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 14, 3:07 PM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
TXZ019>033-142300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
305 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THE REMAINDER OF
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER THE NORTHWEST HALF OF NORTH TEXAS.
THE SLIGHT RISK AREA IS GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE THROUGH GAINESVILLE...
MINERAL WELLS... AND SAN ANGELO.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP AT 300 PM FROM WEST OF
CHILDRESS TO BETWEEN ABILENE AND LUBBOCK... OR ALONG THE DRY LINE.
TEMPERATURES IN THIS AREA HAD SOARED INTO THE 90S AT 300 PM... WITH
LUBBOCK AT 93 AND MIDLAND AT 97. THESE WARM TEMPERATURES
WERE OCCURRING IN THE CLEAR AIR NEAR THE DRY LINE... AND
COMBINED WITH THE HIGH VALUES OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE EAST OF THE
DRIER AIR...WERE PRODUCING LIFTED INDEX VALUES... A MEASURE OF
INSTABILITY... INTO THE MINUS 14 TO MINUS 16 RANGE. THESE VALUES
ARE CONSIDERED TO BE VERY UNSTABLE... SO ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT
DO DEVELOP IN THIS UNSTABLE AIR WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE VERY
QUICKLY. THIS WILL LIKELY OCCUR BEFORE 500 PM.

SOME HIGH BASED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAVE PERSISTED ALL
DAY FROM MINERAL WELLAS TO WICHITA FALLS WERE NOT WELL ORGANIZED
BUT WERE KEEPING SURFACE TEMPERATURES DOWN IN THAT AREA. THIS
WAS KEEPING THE AIR TEMPORARILY MORE STABLE BETWEEN MINERAL WELLS
AND WICHITA FALLS... BUT THE RESULTING TEMPERATURES CONTRASTS
BETWEEN THIS AREA AND THE WARMER AIR TO THE WEST MAY EVENTUALLY
ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA THIS AFTERNOON DUE
TO INCREASED LOW LEVEL WIND CONVERGENCE.

ANOTHER AREA WHERE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING IS OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA... WHERE
A RAIN-COOLED BOUNDARY INTERSECTED A COLD FRONT.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS WILL WANT TO KEEP IN
TOUCH WITH LATER WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTENOON
AND EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST-NORTHEAST WITH THE UPPER
LEVEL FLOW... BUTJ WILL TEND TO DIMINISH A FEW HOURS AFTER SUNSET
SINCE THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT IS MINIMAL.
Special weather statement, May 14, 5:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
TXZ019>020-024>025-029>030-150300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
500 PM CDT MON  MAY 14 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR EASTLAND AND STEPHENS COUNTIES OF NORTH
CENTRAL TEXAS UNTIL 1000 PM TONIGHT...

AT 455 PM CDT...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED ACROSS
PART OF NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL TEXAS FROM DENISON TO BRECKENRIDGE TO
WACO.  WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO OCCURRING BETWEEN ANSON
AND ASPERMONT.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

ALTHOUGH NO SEVERE STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN EASTLAND OR STEPHENS COUNTIES
...CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO
DEVELOP IN AND CLOSE TO THIS AREA THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
PERSONS IN THIS AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 14, 5:58 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
TXZ019>020-024>025-029>030-150300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
555 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990

...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EASTLAND AND STEPHENS COUNTIES OF
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS UNTIL 1000 PM TONIGHT...

AT 550 PM CDT...SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE
OCCURRING OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL TEXAS FROM NEAR BONHAM THROUGH
THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH METROPLEX TO NEAR HILLSBORO.  AN AREA OF WIDELY
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE OVER NORTHERN
JONES AND HASKELL COUNTIES.  MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES
AN HOUR.

ALTHOUGH NO SEVERE STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN EASTLAND OR STEPHENS COUNTIES
...CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO
DEVELOP IN AND CLOSE TO THIS AREA THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
PERSONS IN THIS AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHaskell, Jones57 min
May 14, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKnox60 min
May 14, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDJones67 min
May 14, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFoard, Hardeman58 min
May 14, 6:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHaskell63 min
May 14, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKnox61 min
May 14, 6:41 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDJones64 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.