Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Fort Worth, TX

March 21, 1991Clay County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 21, 1991, 2:46 PM CST for Clay County, Texas. It was in force for 44 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 21, 1991, 2:46 PM CST (20:46 UTC)
Expired
Mar 21, 1991, 3:30 PM CST
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Clay County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Sill, OK (KFSI), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 98 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, Fort Sill, OK at 12:00Z on 1991-03-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 40 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Fort Sill, OK at 12:00Z on 1991-03-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 148 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 km3 km6 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
40 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-217 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1383 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
80 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
173 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPS 212046
SVRSPS
TXC077-212130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
246 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA FALLS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...CLAY COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED IN SOUTHERN CLAY COUNTY. MOVEMENT
WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM LEFT THE GROUND COVERED
WITH DIME TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL SOUTH OF LAKE WICHITA IN NORTHEASTERN
ARCHER COUNTY AT 235 PM CST.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS FOR BAYLOR AND ARCHER COUNTIES EXPIRED AT
245 PM CST.
 
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 21, 12:13 PM CST, 2 hours 33 minutes before
TXZ019>033-212200

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1215 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT OVER ALL BUT THE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE
MODERATE RISK AREA IS NORTHWEST OF A MARSHALL-LONGVIEW-TEMPLE LINE.
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHEAST OF THIS LINE.

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH IN THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S. WILL
STRENGTHEN AND MOVE INTO EASTERN COLORADO TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY.
THE LOW WILL DEEPEN IN RESPONSE TO A STRONG UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE
ROTATING NORTHEAST THROUGH WEST TEXAS LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS
DISTURBANCE WILL CAUSE A DRY LINE...SITUATED NEAR A VERNON-ABILENE
LINE AT NOON...TO MOVE EAST INTO CENTRAL AND EAST SECTIONS OF NORTH
NORTH TONIGHT.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALREADY FORMING AT NOON SOUTHWEST AND EAST
OF WICHITA FALLS. THESE STORMS WILL INCREASE IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY
THIS AFTERNOON...THEN PUSH EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST SECTIONS OF
NORTH TEXAS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

THE AIR MASS IS VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS TODAY WITH LIFTED
INDICES IN THE -8 TO -10 RANGE BETWEEN ABILENE AND WICHITA FALLS AT
THE NOON HOUR. FURTHERMORE...MODERATE TO STRONG VERTICAL WIND SHEAR
WILL COMBINE WITH THE INSTABILITIES TO INSURE THAT A FEW OF THE STORMS
REACH SEVERE LEVELS. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL...
AND A FEW TORNADOES MAY OCCUR WITH THE MOST INTENSE STORMS.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS IN
WESTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS MAY BE REQUESTED WITHIN THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS. SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY OPERATING CENTER ACTIVATION IN
CENTRAL AND EAST PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS MAY EXPECT ACTIVATION THIS
EVENING AND/OR TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 1:10 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
TXZ019>033-212200

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS...CORRECTED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1215 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT OVER ALL BUT THE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE
MODERATE RISK AREA IS NORTHWEST OF A MARSHALL-LONGVIEW-TEMPLE LINE.
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHEAST OF THIS LINE.

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH IN THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S. WILL
STRENGTHEN AND MOVE INTO EASTERN COLORADO TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY.
THE LOW WILL DEEPEN IN RESPONSE TO A STRONG UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE
ROTATING NORTHEAST THROUGH WEST TEXAS LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS
DISTURBANCE WILL CAUSE A DRY LINE...SITUATED NEAR A VERNON-ABILENE
LINE AT NOON...TO MOVE EAST INTO CENTRAL AND EAST SECTIONS OF NORTH
TEXAS TONIGHT.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALREADY FORMING AT NOON SOUTHWEST AND EAST
OF WICHITA FALLS. THESE STORMS WILL INCREASE IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY
THIS AFTERNOON...THEN PUSH EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST SECTIONS OF
NORTH TEXAS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

THE AIR MASS IS VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS TODAY WITH LIFTED
INDICES IN THE -8 TO -10 RANGE BETWEEN ABILENE AND WICHITA FALLS AT
THE NOON HOUR. FURTHERMORE...MODERATE TO STRONG VERTICAL WIND SHEAR
WILL COMBINE WITH THE INSTABILITIES TO INSURE THAT A FEW OF THE STORMS
REACH SEVERE LEVELS. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL...
AND A FEW TORNADOES MAY OCCUR WITH THE MOST INTENSE STORMS.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS IN
WESTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS MAY BE REQUESTED WITHIN THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS. SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY OPERATING CENTER ACTIVATION IN
CENTRAL AND EAST PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS MAY EXPECT ACTIVATION THIS
EVENING AND/OR TONIGHT.

                ...CORRECTED FOR "NORTH TEXAS" IN PARAGRAPH 2...
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 1:39 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes before
TXZ019>033-220600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
145 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CST FOR WESTERN AND
NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS...THE WATCH AREA INCLUDES THE
CITIES OF MONTAGUE...GRAHAM...ALBANY...HASKELL...THROCKMORTON...WICHITA
FALLS...SEYMOUR AND ANSON.

AT 140 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING
OVER NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE
LOCATED TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA FALLS NEAR THE TOWNS OF
SEYMOUR AND ARCHER CITY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40
MPH AND SHOULD BE NEAR WICHITA FALLS BY 145 PM.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF
NORTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE STORMS SHOULD BE
FORMING IN AN AREA FROM SAN ANGELO TO FORT WORTH DURING THE LATE
AFTERNOON AND WILL MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST VERY RAPIDLY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS AND
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAINS AND POSSIBLY A
TORNADO.

RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ON ALERT FOR THREATENING THUNDERSTORM CLOUDS
THROUGH THIS EVENING AND STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 21, 1:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWilbarger29 min
Mar 21, 1:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDArcher, Clay48 min
Mar 21, 1:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBaylor48 min
Mar 21, 2:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWichita54 min
Mar 21, 5:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEastland54 min
Mar 21, 5:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDPalo Pinto48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.