Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 7, 1991Borden County, Howard County, Martin County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1991, 6:49 PM CDT for Borden County, Howard County, Martin County, Texas. It was in force for 41 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 7, 1991, 6:49 PM CDT (23:49 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Borden County, TX, Howard County, TX, Martin County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 7, 7:20 PM CDTTornado F0Howard, TX
May 7, 7:21 PM CDTTornado F0Borden, TX
May 7, 7:25 PM CDTTornado F2Martin, 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

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 79 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 1991-05-07Temperature 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 1991-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 127 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2354 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
184 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 KMAF 072350
TORMAF
TXC033-227-317-080030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
649 PM CDT TUE MAY 7 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIDLAND HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
 
   ...SOUTHERN BORDEN COUNTY...NORTHERN HOWARD COUNTY
   ...NORTHERN MARTIN COUNTY
 
AT 644 PM CDT THE LAMESA SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED THE TORNADO THAT WAS
AFFECTING SOUTHERN DAWSON COUTNY WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST. THIS
STORM WAS NEAR THE CITY OF ACKERLY. THIS TORNADO HAS PROUDUCED DAMAGE
IN SOUTHERN DAWSON COUNTY.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEME4NT.  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 7, 5:09 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
TXZ007-008-010>018-024-034-050>054-NMZ013-072240-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...COR...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
435 PM CDT TUE MAY 7 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHWEST
   TEXAS UNTIL 900 PM CDT TONIGHT...

...AT 425 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT AN AREA OF SCATTERED THUNDER-
STORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAINFALL...EXTENDED FROM NORTHWEST OF LUBBOCK
TO ANDREWS. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS NORTHWEST OF LAMESA. MOVEMENT
WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

RESIDENTS OF LAMESA SHOULD BE PREARED FOR THE THUNDERSTORMS NORTHWEST
OF LAMESA...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
STATION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
TXZ007-008-010>018-024-034-050>054-NMZ013-082240-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
540 PM CDT TUE MAY 7 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHWEST
   TEXAS UNTIL 900 PM CDT TONIGHT...

AT 525 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT AN AREA OF SCATTERED THUNDER-
STORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAINFALL...EXTENDED FROM HEREFORD...TO LUBBOCK
...TO SOUTH OF LAMESA. HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL...
WAS LOCATED NEAR LAMESA. THEY WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

AT 539 PM CDT...THE LAMESA SHERRIFF REPORTED THAT PEA TO MARBLE SIZE
...AND HEAVY RAINFALL...HAD JUST BEGUN IN THE CITY OF LAMESA

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION...OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFDawson54 min
May 7, 6:16 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFDawson44 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.