Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Amarillo, TX

June 5, 1991Swisher County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at Jun 5, 1991, 6:14 PM CDT for Swisher County, Texas. It was in force for 31 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
Jun 5, 1991, 6:14 PM CDT (23:14 UTC)
Expired
Jun 5, 1991, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Swisher County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 5, 6:17 PM CDTTornado F0Swisher, TX
Jun 5, 6:47 PM CDTHail 1.75Swisher, 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, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 78 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 1991-06-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 886 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 12:00Z on 1991-06-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 180 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
886 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-205 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1703 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
117 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 KAMA 052315
TORAMA
TXC437-052345-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
614 PM CDT WED JUN 5 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM CDT
FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
 
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
 
   ...SWISHER COUNTY
 
AT 614 PM CDT...A TORNAD0 WAS SIGHTED BY THE TULIA POLICE DEPARTMENT 6
MILES SOUTHEAST OF TULIA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MILES
AN HOUR.
 
 
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 LOWEFST 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, Jun 5, 1:02 PM CDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before
TXZ001>009-NMZ005-009-013-OKZ001>003-060500-

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
100 PM CDT WED JUN 05 1991

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES.

EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THE DRYLINE WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO.
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH BAJA CALIFORNIA
INTO SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO IS EXPECTED TO PASS NEAR THE REGION TONIGHT.
THE PROXIMITY OF THIS DISTURBANCE INTERACTING WITH THE DRYLINE AND
AVAILABLE MOISTURE ALREADY IN PLACE WILL RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. AT THIS TIME...ALL THE INGREDIENTS
NECESSARY FOR SEVERE WEATHER ARE NOT QUITE ESTABLISHED. HOWEVER...
ISOLATED STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS EVENING AS THE DISTURBANCE GETS CLOSER.

SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS IN THE OKLAHOMA AND
TEXAS PANHANDLES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE READY FOR ACTIVATION THIS
EVENING IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Jun 5, 2:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
TXZ001>009-NMZ005-009-013-OKZ001>003-060300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
300 PM CDT WED JUN 5 1991

...TORNADO WATCH #486 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT (9 PM MDT) FOR THE
WESTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES AND PARTS OF
NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO...

COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE ARE CIMARRON AND BEAVER.
IN NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO UNION...QUAY..CURRY AND ROOSEVELT.  IN THE
TEXAS PANHANDLE...DALLAM...HARTLEY...OLDHAM...DEAF SMITH...PARMER...
SHERMAN...MOORE...POTTER...RANDALL...CASTRO...SWISHER...HANSFORD...
HUTCHINSON...CARSON AND ARMSTRONG.

TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL....DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND CLOSE TO THESE COUNTIES.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

EISE
Special weather statement, Jun 5, 3:04 PM CDT, 3 hours 10 minutes before
TXZ001>009-NMZ005-009-013-OKZ001>003-060300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
300 PM CDT WED JUN 5 1991

...TORNADO WATCH #486 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT (9 PM MDT) FOR THE
WESTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES AND PARTS OF
NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO...

COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE ARE CIMARRON AND TEXAS.
IN NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO UNION...QUAY..CURRY AND ROOSEVELT.  IN THE
TEXAS PANHANDLE...DALLAM...HARTLEY...OLDHAM...DEAF SMITH...PARMER...
SHERMAN...MOORE...POTTER...RANDALL...CASTRO...SWISHER...HANSFORD...
HUTCHINSON...CARSON AND ARMSTRONG.

TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL....DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND CLOSE TO THESE COUNTIES.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

...CORRECTION TO ADD TEXAS COUNTY OKLAHOMA IN PLACE OF BEAVER COUNTY...

EISE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 5, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMASwisher62 min
Jun 5, 3:45 PM CDTTornado WarningAMACastro, Swisher45 min
Jun 5, 4:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMARandall68 min
Jun 5, 4:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAWheeler65 min
Jun 5, 4:52 PM CDTTornado WarningAMADeaf Smith, Oldham38 min
Jun 5, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMADeaf Smith, Randall62 min
Jun 5, 5:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMASwisher65 min
Jun 5, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACastro61 min
Jun 5, 6:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningAMASwisher115 min
Jun 5, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMASwisher115 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.