Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1999
Tornado Warning 33, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 9, 1999, 5:47 PM CDT for Pecos County, Texas. It was in force for 43 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 9, 1999, 5:47 PM CDT (22:47 UTC)
- Expired
- May 9, 1999, 6:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
County Pecos County, TX
The radar
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:50 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 9, 6:17 PM CDT | Hail 2.5 | Sheffield, TX | |
| May 9, 6:30 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Bakersfield, 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 4:30 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 126 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
- 1809 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -293 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1047 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 114 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 106 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
999 WFUS1 KMAF 092248 RRA TORMAF TXC371-092330- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND-ODESSA TX 547 PM CDT SUN MAY 9 1999 THE MIDLAND-ODESSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN PECOS COUNTY IN TEXAS * UNTIL 630 PM CDT * AT 545 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES SOUTH OF BAKERSFIELD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. * SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM INCLUDE... SHEFFIELD. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. IF YOU SPOT A TORNADO...NEVER TRY TO OUTRUN IT IN A CAR. CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU SPOT A TORNADO...CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. LAT...LON 3092 10228 3069 10246 3067 10180 3088 10187 DJK
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 9, 2:12 PM CDT, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 9, 2:12 PM CDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 212 PM CDT (112 PM MDT) SUN MAY 9 1999 ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE...LAPS DERIVED CAPES ACROSS THE NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN AND SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS ALREADY IN THE 3500-4500 RANGE. CURRENTLY DRYLINE LOCATED FROM NEAR A BOQUILLAS TO KMRF TO KCVN LINE. LI/S EAST OF THE DRYLINE RANGE FROM -6 OVER THE WESTERN COUNTIES TO -10 OVER THE NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES. LOOKING AT THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY...CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES ARE BEING REACHED AS A CU FIELD BEGINNING TO FORM ACROSS THE LOWER TRANS PECOS REGION AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORMING OVER SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND THE NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN. UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL CONTINUE TO BECOME MORE IN PHASE WITH THE DRYLINE THIS AFTERNOON AS A SHORTHWAVE SWINGS ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS BY 00Z THIS AFTERNOON. WITH SUCH HIGH CAPES AND WITH PLENTY OF DEEP LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL LIKELY GO SEVERE...ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHERN CWA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENING HOURS. AFTER THAT...MODELS TYPICALLY DON/T HANDLE THE DRYLINE VERY WELL...SO WILL GO WITH INSTINCT AND SAY THAT DRYLINE WILL NOT MOVE THAT MUCH OVERNIGHT OR TOMORROW. MODELS DON/T MOVE THE DRYLINE MUCH THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD...HOWEVER THEY DO HAVE IT TOO FAR EAST. MAF 063/093 060/090 3222 CNM 061/093 060/090 2111 MRF 055/088 053/086 2111 P07 063/090 063/090 2111 MARTIN
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 9, 12:20 PM CDT, 5 hours 27 minutes before
NMZ027>029-TXZ045>048-050>052-057>063-067>070-074-075-079>082-100500- THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 1219 PM CDT (1119 AM MDT) SUN MAY 9 1999 THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WEST TEXAS: ANDREWS CULBERSON GLASSCOCK MARTIN REAGAN UPTON BORDEN DAWSON HOWARD MIDLAND REEVES WARD BREWSTER ECTOR JEFF DAVIS PECOS SCURRY WINKLER CRANE GAINES LOVING PRESIDIO TERRELL AND IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO: EDDY LEA SYNOPSIS: THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PERMIAN BASIN...SOUTH PLAINS...AND SOUTHWESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS. ELSEWHERE...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY. LATE THIS SUNDAY MORNING...THE DRYLINE WAS NOTED FROM NEAR LAJITAS...TO THE EASTERN DAVIS MOUNTAINS...TO WEST OF CARLSBAD. IT SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY EAST TODAY...AND BE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY FROM THE EASTERN BIG BEND...THROUGH THE CENTRAL PERMIAN BASIN...TO NEAR SEMINOLE. AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE FROM THE SOUTHWEST...AND INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL AID IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT EAST OF THE DRYLINE. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BECOME SEVERE QUICKLY AS THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE ENERGY IS HIGH. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. HOWEVER WITH STRONGER FORECASTED WIND SHEAR ALOFT...ROTATING SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES IS POSSIBLE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. RSB
Special weather statement, May 9, 12:27 PM CDT, 5 hours 20 minutes before
NMZ027>029-TXZ045>048-050>052-057>063-067>070-074-075-079>082-100500- THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...CORRECTED WORDING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 1227 PM CDT (1127 AM MDT) SUN MAY 9 1999 THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WEST TEXAS: ANDREWS CULBERSON GLASSCOCK MARTIN REAGAN UPTON BORDEN DAWSON HOWARD MIDLAND REEVES WARD BREWSTER ECTOR JEFF DAVIS PECOS SCURRY WINKLER CRANE GAINES LOVING PRESIDIO TERRELL AND IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO: EDDY LEA SYNOPSIS: THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PERMIAN BASIN...SOUTH PLAINS...AND SOUTHWESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS. ELSEWHERE...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THE DRYLINE WAS NOTED FROM NEAR LAJITAS...TO THE EASTERN DAVIS MOUNTAINS...TO WEST OF CARLSBAD. IT SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY EAST TODAY...AND BE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY FROM THE EASTERN BIG BEND...THROUGH THE CENTRAL PERMIAN BASIN...TO NEAR SEMINOLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE FROM THE SOUTHWEST...AND INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL AID IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT EAST OF THE DRYLINE. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BECOME SEVERE QUICKLY AS THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE ENERGY IS HIGH. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. HOWEVER WITH STRONGER FORECASTED WIND SHEAR ALOFT...ROTATING SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. RSB
The office that day
Everything else NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 3:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Pecos | 44 min |
| May 9, 4:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MAF | Crane, Pecos | 44 min |
| May 9, 4:55 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MAF | Pecos | 50 min |
| May 9, 5:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Terrell | 40 min |
| May 9, 5:27 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | MAF | Pecos | 3 hr |
| May 9, 5:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Terrell | 46 min |
| May 9, 5:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Reagan, Upton | 48 min |
| May 9, 6:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Pecos | 45 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes in 1999
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.