Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 13, 1991Howard County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 13, 1991, 7:06 PM CDT for Howard County, Texas. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 13, 1991, 7:06 PM CDT (00:06 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 1991, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Howard County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 82 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 00:00Z on 1991-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 724 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1991-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
724 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-71 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2460 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMAF 140007 RRA
TORMAF
TXC227-140115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
706 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIDLAND HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
 
   ...HOWARD COUNTY
 
AT 7PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL REPORTS A TORNADO
15 MILES NORTHEAST OF BIG SPRING MOVING SOUTHEAST.
 
 
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 13, 5:01 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
TXZ007-008-010>018-024-034-050>054-NMZ013-132251-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
451 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH PLAINS AND
PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS INCLUDING THE PERMIAN BASIN...

AT 432 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE
MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTH PLAINS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS. THE
HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN MIDLAND AND LUBBOCK. MOVEMENT WAS
EAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.
THUNDERSTORMS AND RAAINSHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTHWEST
TEXAS AND PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST PART OF NEW MEXICO. MOVEMENT WAS
SOUTHEAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHERx RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATEST
DETAILS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 5:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
TXZ007-008-010>018-024-034-050>054-NMZ013-132251-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
451 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH PLAINS AND
PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS INCLUDING THE PERMIAN BASIN...

AT 432 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE
MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTH PLAINS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS. THE
HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN MIDLAND AND LUBBOCK. MOVEMENT WAS
EAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.
THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTHWEST
TEXAS AND PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST PART OF NEW MEXICO. MOVEMENT WAS
SOUTHEAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATEST
DETAILS.
Special weather statement, May 13, 5:59 PM CDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
TXZ007-008-010>018-024-034-050>054-NMZ013-132350-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
550 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH PLAINS AND
PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS INCLUDING THE PERMIAN BASIN...

AT 528 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE
MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTH PLAINS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS. THE
HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF LAMESA. MOVEMENT WAS EAST 15
MILES AN HOUR.
THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTHWEST
TEXAS AND PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST PART OF NEW MEXICO. MOVEMENT WAS
NORTHEAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.
A SKYWARN SPOTTER IN ALPINE REPORTED SMALL HAIL AND RAIN DURING THE
LAST HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATER
INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 13, 6:46 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
TXZ007-008-010>018-024-034-050>054-NMZ013-140050-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
642 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH PLAINS AND
PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS INCLUDING THE PERMIAN BASIN...

AT 625 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE
MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTH PLAINS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS. THE
HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR ACKERLY AND NORTHEAST OF LAMESA.
MOVEMENT WAS EAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.
THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTHWEST
TEXAS AND PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST PART OF NEW MEXICO. MOVEMENT WAS
NORTHEAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.
THE PUBLIC REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUDS SIGHTED NEAR PLEASANT FARMS SOUTH OF
ODESSA AND IN NORTHEAST ODESSA. A RAINFALL OBSERVER REPORTED VERY
STRONG WINDS IN GREENWOOD.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATER
INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFPecos62 min
May 13, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFUpton69 min
May 13, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFMidland63 min
May 13, 9:55 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFEctor65 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.