Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 62, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

July 17, 1992Reeves County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at Jul 17, 1992, 1:29 AM CDT for Reeves County, Texas. It was in force for 61 min. 1 report 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
Jul 17, 1992, 1:29 AM CDT (06:29 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 1992, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Reeves County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 17, 1:40 AM CDTHail 1.75Reeves, 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 00:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 158 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 1992-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1341 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 1992-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
1341 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1988 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMAF 170629
TORMAF
TXC389-170730-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
129 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIDLAND HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS
 
   ...SOUTHERN REEVES COUNTY
 
AT 124 AM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR
BALMORHEA MOVING EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.
 
PERSONS IN BALMORHEA AND SARAGOSA SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
 
 
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, Jul 16, 7:45 PM CDT, 5 hours 44 minutes before
TXZ013-014-016-051-053-NMZ013-170150-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
738 PM CDT THU JUL 16 1992

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GLASSCOCK COUNTY UNTIL 1100 PM
CDT...

AT 725 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE
WIDELY SCATTERED OVER THE AREA FROM NORTHEAST OF WINTERS TO NORTHEAST OF
SANDERSON. MOVEMENT WAS EAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE ARE STILL DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS AND CAN KPRODUCE STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND LIGHTNING. THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN ALSO
PRODUCE LOCAL FLOODING.

STAY TUNED TTO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATEST DETAILS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 10:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
TXZ013-014-016-051-053-NMZ013-170450-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
1033 PM CDT THU JUL 16 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN TERRELL COUNTY...

AT 1025 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...
REMAINED IN PARTS OF TERRELL COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE
WIDELY SCATTERED FROM NORTHEAST OF SONORA TO SOUTHEAST OF SANDERSON.
MOVEMENT WAS EAST 15 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WERE MOVING INTO THE AREA WEST OF MALJAMAR
AND TATUM NEW MEXICO.

THE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN
...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS KILLER LIGHTNING. RAINFALL CAN ALSO CAUSE
FLOODING IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION WHEN
DRIVING INTO FLOODED AREAS...ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR LATEST DETAILS
AND FURTHER INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 8:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFPecos59 min
Jul 16, 9:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFTerrell69 min
Jul 17, 12:30 AM CDTTornado WarningMAFReeves60 min
Jul 17, 2:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFPecos, Reeves2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes in 1992

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.