Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 14, 1990Taylor County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at May 14, 1990, 8:47 PM CDT for Taylor County, Texas. It was in force for 58 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 14, 1990, 8:47 PM CDT (01:47 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 1990, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Taylor 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

Stephenville/Cla, TX (KSEP), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 00:00Z on 1990-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2906 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 00:00Z on 1990-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 69 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
2906 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1212 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KABI 150147
TORABI
TXC441-150245-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABILENE TX
847 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTH PART OF TEXAS
      TAYLOR

AT 841 PM CDT...SKYWARN SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND
NEAR THE PRIDE REFINERY IN SOUTHERN JONES COUNTY OR JUST NORTH
OF THE CITY OF ABILENE. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLE
TORNADOES MAY REACH ABILENE DURING THE NEXT 10 TO 30 MINUTES. THIS
IS A DANGEROUS STORM SYSTEM. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. BE READY TO SEEK
IMMEDIATE SHELTER.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...GO TO A BASEMENT OR
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.

IN HOMES AND APARTMENTS...INTERIOR BATHROOMS AND CLOSETS ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OFFER THE BEST PROTECTION. COVER YOURSELF WITH
BLANKETS OR CLOTHING AND WAIT FOR THE STORM TO PASS.

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, 5 hours 40 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, 3 hours 46 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, 2 hours 49 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.
Special weather statement, May 14, 6:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
TXZ019>020-024>025-029>030-150300-

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

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

AT 645 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCURRING OVER JONES...HASKELL
AND KNOX COUNTIES FROM NORTH OF ANSON TO HASKELL TO NEAR BENJAMIN.  THE
HEVIEST RAINFALL WAS INDICATED BETWEEN HASKELL AND ANSON.  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 THIS EVENING.U  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, 7:59 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
TXZ019>020-024>025-029>030-150300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
755 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 750 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER
PART OF THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS FROM NEAR MUNDAY TO SEYMOUR TO ANSON AND
ALBANY.  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS WEST OF MUNDAY AND NORTHEAST OF ANSON.
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RAINFALL EXTENDED INTO THE EXTREME EASTERN PART OF
SHACKELFORD COUNTY...AND AT PRESENT MOVEMENT AND SPEED WILL LIKELY REACH THE
WESTERN PART OF STEPHENS COUNTY AROUND 830 PM.  RESIDENTS OF EASTLAND AND
STEPHENS COUNTIES ARE REMINDED THAT A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 1000 PM TONIGHT.  PERSONS IN THIS AREA OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD
CONTINUE TO 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, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDShackelford67 min
May 14, 7:43 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDJones62 min
May 14, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDShackelford92 min
May 14, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDArcher, Baylor63 min
May 14, 9:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCallahan62 min
May 14, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDShackelford24 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.