Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 11, NWS Lubbock, TX
NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at May 8, 1998, 4:40 PM CDT for Dickens County, Texas. It was in force for 50 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 8, 1998, 4:40 PM CDT (21:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 1998, 5:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 50 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lubbock, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Dickens County, TX
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 198 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1677 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 79 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 114 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 149 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
578 WFUS1 KLBB 082142 RRA TORLBB TXC125-082230- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 440 PM CDT FRI MAY 8 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... DICKENS COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN TEXAS * UNTIL 530 PM CDT * AT 439 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES EAST OF SPUR MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER RURAL AREAS. GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR JV
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 8, 11:32 AM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before
TXZ021>044-081900- AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1132 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 1998 THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT FOR THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THE RISK AREA IS GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A MEMPHIS TO JAYTON LINE. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. LATE THIS MORNING...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS ROTATING THROUGH CENTRAL ARIZONA. THE APPROACH OF THIS SYSTEM WAS RESULTING IN A DEEPENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WAS INCREASING FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. A DRY LINE WILL EXTEND SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING TO THE EAST TOWARD CHILDRESS. A WARM LAYER OF AIR ALOFT WILL SUPPRESS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MUCH OF THE DAY BUT BY LATE AFTERNOON THIS CAP IS EXPECTED TO BE WEAK ENOUGH TO ALLOW THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THESE BOUNDARIES. MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR WILL PROMOTE THE FORMATION OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE RISK AREAS. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WIND. THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF TORNADOES TO THE EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW...PRIMARILY IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME NECESSARY BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING...ESPECIALLY EAST AND NORTHEAST OF LUBBOCK. 69
Special weather statement, May 8, 11:32 AM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before
TXZ021>044-081900- AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1132 AM CDT FRI MAY 8 1998 THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT FOR THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THE RISK AREA IS GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A MEMPHIS TO JAYTON LINE. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. LATE THIS MORNING...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS ROTATING THROUGH CENTRAL ARIZONA. THE APPROACH OF THIS SYSTEM WAS RESULTING IN A DEEPENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WAS INCREASING FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. A DRY LINE WILL EXTEND SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING TO THE EAST TOWARD CHILDRESS. A WARM LAYER OF AIR ALOFT WILL SUPPRESS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MUCH OF THE DAY BUT BY LATE AFTERNOON THIS CAP IS EXPECTED TO BE WEAK ENOUGH TO ALLOW THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THESE BOUNDARIES. MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR WILL PROMOTE THE FORMATION OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE RISK AREAS. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WIND. THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF TORNADOES TO THE EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW...PRIMARILY IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME NECESSARY BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING...ESPECIALLY EAST AND NORTHEAST OF LUBBOCK. 69
Special weather statement, May 8, 1:14 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
TXZ021>044-090115- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 114 PM CDT FRI MAY 8 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...LOW ROLLING PLAINS...AND EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE THROUGH 8 PM CDT... THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES ALL OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: PARMER...CASTRO...SWISHER...BRISCOE...HALL...CHILDRESS... BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...COCHRAN... HOCKLEY...LUBBOCK...CROSBY...DICKENS...KING...YOAKUM...TERRY... LYNN...GARZA...KENT AND STONEWALL. LV
Special weather statement, May 8, 1:14 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
TXZ021>044-090115- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 114 PM CDT FRI MAY 8 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...LOW ROLLING PLAINS...AND EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE THROUGH 8 PM CDT... THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES ALL OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: PARMER...CASTRO...SWISHER...BRISCOE...HALL...CHILDRESS... BAILEY...LAMB...HALE...FLOYD...MOTLEY...COTTLE...COCHRAN... HOCKLEY...LUBBOCK...CROSBY...DICKENS...KING...YOAKUM...TERRY... LYNN...GARZA...KENT AND STONEWALL. LV
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lubbock, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 3:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lamb | 31 min |
| May 8, 3:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hale | 49 min |
| May 8, 3:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Lamb | 35 min |
| May 8, 3:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Hale | 31 min |
| May 8, 3:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Hale | 35 min |
| May 8, 4:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Swisher | 33 min |
| May 8, 4:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Crosby, Dickens | 36 min |
| May 8, 4:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Briscoe, Floyd | 32 min |
| May 8, 4:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Dickens, King | 49 min |
| May 8, 4:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Briscoe, Hall | 50 min |
| May 8, 5:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Stonewall | 50 min |
| May 8, 5:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | King | 47 min |
| May 8, 5:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hall | 48 min |
| May 8, 5:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Stonewall | 51 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998
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.