Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Norman, OK

November 20, 1994Wichita County, Texas

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at Nov 20, 1994, 12:18 AM CST for Wichita County, Texas. It was in force for 42 min.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties.

The facts

Issued: Nov 20, 1994, 12:18 AM CST (06:18 UTC)
Expired: Nov 20, 1994, 1:00 AM CST
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Norman, OK
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Wichita County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 185 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -281 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 575 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 494 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 513 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 KOKC 200618
TOROKC
TXC485-200700-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1218 AM CST SUN NOV 20 1994

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OKLAHOMA CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN NORTHERN TEXAS
     WICHITA

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     IOWA PARK AND ELECTRA

AT 1218 AM CST RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 9 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF ELECTRA.

THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH

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 A SMALL INTERIOR
ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...
PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
ABANDON MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A
DITCH OR CULVERT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHERN TEXAS UNTIL 600AM CST.


LAT...LON 3396  9859 3383  9902 3402  9901 3417  9860

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.

NWS Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Nov 19, 4:01 PM CST, 8 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 19, 4:01 PM CST, 8 hours 17 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OKLAHOMA
400 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1994

CONTINUED MID-LVL CAA INTO BASE OF FOUR CORNERS UPR LOW HAS HELPED HOLD
IT BACK DURING LAST 24 HRS DESPITE MOST OF JET ENERGY ON DWN STRM SIDE
OF TROF AXIS.  12Z MODELS HAVE CORRECTED SIG SLOWER THAN YDAY'S RUNS AND
ARE IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT ON POSN OF MAIN FEATURES THRU 48 HRS.

MDT-HVY RAIN HAS FALLEN DURING MOST OF DAY IN NCNTRL OK SWD TWD OKC AREA
WHILE ACTIVITY HAS BCM MORE SCT IN WCNTRL OK. MEANWHILE...FFG IS QUITE
LOW FOR SE OK ZNS WHICH HAVE BEEN FAIRLY DRY TODAY BUT DONT NEED MUCH
FOR WATER PROBLEMS TO DVLP. EXPECTING POTNL FOR HVY RAIN TO CONT IN CTRL
OK TONITE MOVG INTO SE OK ARND MIDNITE. SE OK WILL SEE BEST CHC FOR
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AS CDFNT MOVES THRU DURING ERLY MORNING HOURS THRU
18Z SUN. IN ADDITION TO HVY RAIN...POTL FOR SVR WX RMNS WITH GOOD VERT
WIND SHEAR AND VERY STG WIND SPEEDS. PLAN TO KEEP MENTION OF SVR IN
ZNS WITH 60+ KT 70H WIND EXPECTED. COLD MID AND UPR LVLS WILL KEEP HAIL
IN THE PICTURE AS WELL.

MOS POPS AGREE THERE IS LTL DOUBT ABT IT FOR TONITE LINGERING INTO SUN
MORNING IN CNTRL AND SE OK. SOME WRAP-ARND PSBL IN NRN OK WHILE SW OK
AND N TX ZNS GET DRY SLOT. FAN TEMPS LOOK BETTER FOR TONITE BUT TOO WARM
FOR SUN WITH PLENTY OF COLD AIR NOTED IN ERN CO. SOME WIND WILL HELP
KEEP READINGS CLOSE TO MOS FOR SUN NITE BUT MON NITE SHUD SEE GOOD RAD
COOLING TO START OFF EXTENDED FCST.

IN THE EXTENDED FCST...MORE ZONAL FLOW DVLPG WITH DRY CONDS AND GRADUAL
WARMING TREND

COORD TUL.

FCSTID=#22/BT

HBR   45  61  40  58 / 100 0   0   0
OKC   50  57  40  58 / 100 60  0   0
SPS   48  63  42  60 / 100 0   0   0
GAG   40  55  30~  58 / 100 20  0   0
PNC   46  53  39  56 / 100 60  0   0
DUA   51  60  43  60 / 100 100 0   0

.OKC...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES 07..08..12..13..17>20..24>
32..40>43..46>53.
.TX...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 19, 10:18 PM CST, 2 hours before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1020 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1994

TIME  /DATE      COUNTY                  EVENT

1005PM/19TH      KIOWA              60 MPH WINDS AT SNYDER HIGH SCHOOL
                                    FOOTBALL STADIUM

FM

Local storm report, Nov 19, 10:20 PM CST, 1 hour 58 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1020 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1994

TIME  /DATE      COUNTY                  EVENT

1005PM/19TH      KIOWA              60 MPH WINDS AT SNYDER HIGH SCHOOL
                                    FOOTBALL STADIUM

FM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Nov 19, 11:01 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OUN	Wilbarger	29 min
Nov 19, 11:23 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OUN	Wichita	37 min
Nov 20, 12:41 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Foard	49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1994 Every tornado warning in 1994 Tornadoes in 1994

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.