Alert archive / New Mexico / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 29, 1999Eddy County, New Mexico

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 29, 1999, 6:24 PM MDT for Eddy County, New Mexico. It was in force for 51 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 29, 1999, 6:24 PM MDT (00:24 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 1999, 7:15 PM MDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Eddy County, NM

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 193 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:26 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 29, 6:35 PM MDTHail 0.75Carlsbad, NM

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

Santa Teresa, NM (KEPZ), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 240 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, Santa Teresa, NM at 00:00Z on 1999-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Santa Teresa, NM at 00:00Z on 1999-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
4295 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
5 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.

999 
WFUS1 KMAF 300026 RRA
TORMAF
NMC015-300115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND-ODESSA TX
624 PM MDT SAT MAY 29 1999

THE MIDLAND-ODESSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL EDDY COUNTY IN NEW MEXICO

* UNTIL 715 PM MDT

* AT 623 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF   
  CARLSBAD...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.  SPOTTERS REPORT TENNIS BALL     
  SIZE HAIL 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF CARLSBAD.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM INCLUDE...    
  OTIS...LOVING...CARLSBAD NORTH AND CARLSBAD.

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

IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER NOW IF
NO UNDERGROUND SHELTER IS AVAILABLE MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR. MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR MORE
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. AVOID WINDOWS

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 3252 10429 3239 10443 3213 10416 3236 10395

&
SD

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 29, 1:31 PM MDT, 4 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 29, 1:31 PM MDT, 4 hours 53 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
231 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 1999

VISIBLE IMAGERY INDICATES REMNANT MVC LIFTING NE TOWARD LOW ROLLING
PLAINS ATTM WITH LOW/MID CLOUDS LINGERING ACROSS NRN CWA. FARTHER S
FULL INSOLATION IS ONGOING WITH ATMOS DESTABILIZING WITH CU IN THE
DAVIS MTNS. SATELLITE DERIVED PRODUCTS INDICATES CAP STILL IN PLACE
WHILE 18Z RUC LIS HAVE DROPPED TO MINUS 4 TO 6. 18Z RUC SUPPORTS
BEST CAPES/LIS PECOS/TERRELL COUNTIES WHERE TEMPS ARE APPROACHING
M80S. FCST WILL REFLECT FAVORED AREA FOR CONVECTION BEING FROM NEAR
PECOS RIVER S TO NEAR MTNS WITH 85H THETA-E RIDGE AXIS NOTED THERE.
DRYING ACROSS MTNS PER WATER VAPOR AND 18Z RUC FCST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST
LESS DEVELOPMENT/INTENSITY THAN LAST NIGHT. FAVOR IDEA OF LETTING FFA
EXPIRE AT 2130Z. IF TSTMS DO BLOSSOM S AND MTNS WOULD MOST LIKELY
HAVE TO ISSUE FFA. MID LEVEL FLOW FINALLY BEGINS TO STRENGTHEN TMW
WITH WEAK LEE TROF FORMING. AS A RESULT LOW LEVEL MSTR GRADIENT TO
EVOLVE EWD AND WILL LEAVE POPS OUT OF MTNS. MID LEVEL RIDGE
INTENSIFIES ACROSS MEXICO AND BUILDS NWD INTO W TX MONDAY SIGNALING
AN END TO POPS AS WELL HAVE TO CONTEND WITH M90S-100 AND
STRENGTHENING CINH THRU WEDNESDAY.

MAF 61/92/64/95  20/20/20/-
CNM 60/93/62/96  20/10/10/-
MRF 52/86/55/89  20/-/-/-
P07 66/94/67/97  30/20/20/-

GPM

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in New Mexico, 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.