Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 32, NWS Lubbock, TX
NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at May 30, 1997, 3:45 AM CDT for Hale County, Texas. It was in force for 30 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
- May 30, 1997, 3:45 AM CDT (08:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 30, 1997, 4:15 AM CDT
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lubbock, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Hale County, TX
The radar
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:45 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 3:50 AM CDT | Tornado F0 | Petersburg, 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 129 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1786 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -52 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1541 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 42 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 177 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 5.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
144 WFUS1 KLBB 300844 RRA TORLBB TXC189-300915- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 345 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK TX HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHWESTERN TEXAS ...HALE COUNTY AT 342 AM CDT...A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY LUBBOCK DOPPLER RADAR AND THE HALE COUNTY SHERIFF 3 TO 5 MILES NORTH OF PETERSBURG MOVING SOUTH SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. PETERSBURG IS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO. 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 SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. JWL &
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 29, 9:47 PM CDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
TXZ021>044-300450- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 947 PM CDT THU MAY 29 1997 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM FOR ALL OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...PORTIONS OF THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND PORTIONS OF THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM FOR THE EASTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WEST TEXAS PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-BAILEY-LAMB- HALE-FLOYD-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA- HALL-MOTLEY-DICKENS AND KENT. SOME CITIES AND COMMUNITIES INCLUDED IN THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDE LUBBOCK...PLAINVIEW...FRIONA...DIMMITT...TULIA...SILVERTON... MULESHOE...LITTLEFIELD...FLOYDADA...MORTON...LEVELLAND...CROSBYTON... DENVER CITY...BROWNFIELD...TAHOKA...POST...JAYTON...DICKENS... MATADOR AND ESTELLINE. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR CHILDRESS- COTTLE-KING-AND STONEWALL COUNTIES UNTIL 4 AM CDT. COMMUNITIES INCLUDED IN THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDE CHILDRESS... PADUCAH...GUTHRIE...AND ASPERMONT. REMEMBER...A WATCH MEANS THAT SEVERE WEATHER IS FAVORABLE AND POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT SEVERE WEATHER IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND REMAIN INFORMED THIS EVENING BY LISTENING TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO... LOCAL RADIO...COMMERCIAL OR CABLE TELEVISION FOR THE LASTEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. EOS
Local storm report, May 29, 10:21 PM CDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1021 PM CDT THU MAY 29 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0821 PM ODONNELL TX .75 INCH HAIL
05/29/97 LYNN PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE TO
DIME SIZE HAIL COVERING
GROUND
1017 PM HAPPY TX 1.5 INCH HAIL
05/29/97 SWISHER PING-PONG HAIL IN HAPPYSpecial weather statement, May 30, 1:11 AM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before
TXZ021>026-300630- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 111 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997 THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES. PARMER...CASTRO...SWISHER...BRISCOE...HALL AND CHILDRESS. THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES UNTIL 2AM. BAILEY...LAMB... HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...COCHRAN...HOCKLEY LUBBOCK...CROSBY...DICKENS...KING...YOAKUM...TERRY...LYNN...GARZA... KENT AND STONEWALL.
Special weather statement, May 30, 2:13 AM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
TXZ021>044-300735- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 214 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997 THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE...THE SOUTH PLAINS EXPIRED AT 2 AM. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS UNTIL 4 AM. THIS INCLUDES CHILDRESS...HALL...COTTLE... DICKENS...KENT...KING...MOTLEY...AND STONEWALL COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND THE SOUTH PLAINS HAS EXPIRED...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS STILL INDICATED IN SWISHER COUNTY SOUTHWEST OF TULIA.
Special weather statement, May 30, 2:14 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
TXZ021>044-300735- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 214 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997 THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE...THE SOUTH PLAINS EXPIRED AT 2 AM. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS UNTIL 4 AM. THIS INCLUDES CHILDRESS...HALL...COTTLE... DICKENS...KENT...KING...MOTLEY...AND STONEWALL COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND THE SOUTH PLAINS HAS EXPIRED...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS STILL INDICATED IN SWISHER COUNTY SOUTHWEST OF TULIA.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lubbock, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 7:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lynn | 51 min |
| May 29, 8:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Garza, Lynn | 46 min |
| May 29, 10:01 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Swisher | 64 min |
| May 29, 10:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Parmer | 64 min |
| May 29, 10:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Briscoe, Hall | 65 min |
| May 29, 10:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Swisher | 46 min |
| May 29, 11:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Castro | 64 min |
| May 29, 11:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lamb | 64 min |
| May 29, 11:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Swisher | 31 min |
| May 30, 12:40 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lamb | 30 min |
| May 30, 1:40 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Swisher | 35 min |
| May 30, 2:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Swisher | 34 min |
| May 30, 2:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hale | 61 min |
| May 30, 3:40 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Floyd | 35 min |
| May 30, 3:49 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Floyd | 31 min |
| May 30, 3:54 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Crosby | 31 min |
| May 30, 4:23 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Crosby | 47 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes in 1997
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.