Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 46, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 26, 1999Pecos County, Ward County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 26, 1999, 9:26 PM CDT for Pecos County, Ward County, Texas. It was in force for 34 min. 1 report 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 26, 1999, 9:26 PM CDT (02:26 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 1999, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Pecos County, TX, Ward County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 26, 9:45 PM CDTHail 1.75Grandfalls, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 26, 7:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 300 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1999-05-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2444 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1999-05-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 97 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
2444 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-87 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1347 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
5.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS1 KMAF 270227 RRA
TORMAF
TXC371-475-270300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND-ODESSA TX
926 PM CDT WED MAY 26 1999

THE MIDLAND-ODESSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN PECOS COUNTY IN TEXAS
  SOUTHEASTERN WARD COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 926 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES WEST OF
  ROYALTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM INCLUDE... 
  ROYALTY AND GRANDFALLS.

LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS...FOR THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 3154 10305 3119 10297 3114 10276 3149 10279

RSB

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 26, 9:03 PM CDT, 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 9:03 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
903 PM CDT WED MAY 26 1999

AFTER A RESPITE YESTERDAY...ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE CONVECTION IS
UNDERWAY FOR THIS PORTION OF W-TEXAS AND SE-NEW MEXICO. THUS FAR
THIS EVENING...HAVE HAD REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL FROM A LEFT MOVING
STORM OVER ODESSA...LARGE HAIL FROM A TORNADIC RIGHT MOVER NEARING
MONAHANS. ALSO HAVE OTHER REPORTS FROM EARLIER STORMS OVER SE/NM.

WW 324 SEVERE BOX FOR NEW MEXICO HAS EXPIRED AT 02Z...WITH CALMER
WX EXPECTED FOR THOSE PARTS. TIMING ON BOXES FOR CURRENT TX BOXES
LOOKS OK. 01Z SURFACE MAP INDICATED A NORTH/SOUTH TROF ALONG EASTERN
NM TO THE WEST OF FST. A PREVAILING NELY LOW-LEVEL FLOW SHOULD
PREVAIL ACROSS THE PERMIAN BASIN AND SE NM. NOT ENUF TIME FOR FURTHER
DETAILS. WILL REVIEW ALL FORECASTS AND WILL SEND UPDATES AS NEEDED.

RSB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 26, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFTerrell30 min
May 26, 7:04 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFLoving, Reeves26 min
May 26, 7:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFLoving35 min
May 26, 7:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFEctor49 min
May 26, 7:56 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFLoving49 min
May 26, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFAndrews, Ector, Midland59 min
May 26, 8:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFLoving, Ward, Winkler44 min
May 26, 8:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFAndrews, Ector41 min
May 26, 8:42 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFWard, Winkler33 min
May 26, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFAndrews, Ector, Midland51 min
May 26, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFMartin51 min
May 26, 9:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCrane, Pecos, Ward43 min
May 26, 9:23 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMAFMartin, Midland2 hr
May 26, 10:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFPecos, Ward30 min
May 26, 10:29 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFPecos31 min
May 26, 11:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFPecos57 min
May 26, 11:36 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFPecos39 min
May 27, 12:15 AM CDTTornado WarningMAFPecos, Terrell45 min
May 27, 12:15 AM CDTTornado WarningMAFPecos, Terrell30 min
May 27, 1:03 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMAFPecos117 min
May 27, 2:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFBrewster57 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.