Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Lubbock, TX

May 14, 1990Cottle County, King County, Texas

NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at May 14, 1990, 5:37 PM CDT for Cottle County, King County, Texas. It was in force for 53 min. 3 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, 5:37 PM CDT (22:37 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 1990, 6:30 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Lubbock, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cottle County, TX, King 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, 5:45 PM CDTHail 1.75Cottle, TX
May 14, 5:47 PM CDTHail 2.75King, TX
May 14, 6:40 PM CDTHail 4.5King, 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 202 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 12:00Z on 1990-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1990-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLBB 142238
TORLBB
TXC101-269-142330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
537 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
 
   ...COTTLE COUNTY...KING COUNTY
 
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF GUTHRIE. THE TORNADO
WAS NO LONGER ON THE GROUND AT 536 PM BUT COULD REDEVELOP.
RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS ALSO INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
JUST NORTHEAST OF PADUCAH IN COTTLE COUNTY.
 
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, May 14, 3:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before
TXZ007-008-009-010-011-012-142100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
254 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS...

AT 245 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS
OVER FLOYD AND CROSBY COUNTIES.  THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO JUST
BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST LUBBOCK COUNTY.  THE
STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AND MAY CONTAIN STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

PEOPLE ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE INDOORS
IF THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH.
Special weather statement, May 14, 3:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
TXZ007-008-009-010-011-012-142145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
350 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE TEXAS SOUTH
PLAINS UNTIL 1000 PM...

AT 335 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THE SOUTH PLAINS.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EASTERN FLOYD AND CROSBY
COUNTIES AND WESTERN MOTLEY COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...
AND SMALL HAIL.  IN ADDITION AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES THERE
IS A POTENTIAL THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE AND
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INDOORS.
PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN HALF OF THE SOUTH PLAINS SHOULD
CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION DUR8ING THIS TORNADO WATCH.
Special weather statement, May 14, 3:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
TXZ007-008-009-010-011-012-142145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
350 PM CDT MON MAY 14 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE TEXAS SOUTH
PLAINS UNTIL 1000 PM...

AT 335 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THE SOUTH PLAINS.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EASTERN FLOYD AND CROSBY
COUNTIES AND WESTERN MOTLEY COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...
AND SMALL HAIL.  IN ADDITION AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES THERE
IS A POTENTIAL THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE AND
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INDOORS.
PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN HALF OF THE SOUTH PLAINS SHOULD
CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION DUR<ING THIS TORNADO WATCH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 3:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBMotley64 min
May 14, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBDickens, Motley50 min
May 14, 5:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCottle, King40 min
May 14, 6:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBKing29 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.