Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 71, NWS Shreveport, LA

May 4, 1999Cherokee County, Texas

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at May 4, 1999, 7:21 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Texas. It was in force for 64 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 4, 1999, 7:21 PM CDT (00:21 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1999, 8:25 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Shreveport, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Cherokee County, TX

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 142 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:23 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 4, 7:52 PM CDTTornado F2Rusk, TXNumerous trees blown over or snapped.

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 4, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 151 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 1999-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3185 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 1999-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 267 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
3185 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
558 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
267 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
5.4
Supercell composite
17.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS1 KSHV 050020 RRA
TORSHV
TXC073-050125-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
721 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN TEXAS

* UNTIL 825 PM CDT

* AT 720 PM CDT... THE SHREVEPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER
  RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JACKSONVILLE.  THE
  THUNDERSTORM CONTAINING THIS TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST NEAR
  20 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
  EARLIER IN ANDERSON COUNTY.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MAYDELLE BY 735 PM CDT AND JUST SOUTH OF RUSK BY 750 PM CDT

THIS THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE A TORNADO THAT IS OBSCURED BY
RAIN AND DIFFICULT TO SEE. GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 4, 3:06 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 3:06 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
300 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

CONVECTION CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS CWA WELL AHEAD OF DRYLINE. MOST
STORMS SHOWING SIGNS OF ROTATION WITH A COUPLE OF TOUCHDOWNS ALREADY
REPORTED. FEEL THIS IS ONLY FIRST SURGE...WITH ANOTHER BEHIND THIS
WHICH WILL KEEP SCATTERED TSTMS GOING INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS
ACROSS TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA COUNTIES...WITH MODELS A LITTLE A LITTLE
FAST.  STORMS MAY CONTINUE UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT EASTERN MOST
LOUISIANA PARISHES. FEEL DRY SURGE BEHIND ALL THIS ACTIVITY WILL END
PRECIP CHANCES..SO WORK ZONES WILL HAVE DRY FORECAST WEDNESDAY
THROUGH THURSDAY. MOS TEMPS LOOK OK..BUT LOWS LOOK TOO COOL
TONIGHT WITH SOUTH WIND CONTAINING THROUGH MOST OF PERIOD.

SHV  64/82/54/77 6110   MLU  67/86/59/80 7110    TXK  62/80/51/74/ 6111
TYR  61/80/51/75 5110   LFK  65/85/54/79 6110

14

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 4, 3:46 PM CDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
346 PM CDT TUE MAY 04 1999

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....PARISH/COUNTY LOCATION....

0215 PM    5 SE TALCO                TX   TORNADO
05/04/99   TITUS                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0215 PM    6 SE TALCO                TX   TORNADO
05/04/99   TITUS                          *** 1 DEAD ***
                                          TORNADO NEAR BRIDGE CHAPEL
                                          CAUSED DAMAGE. REPORTED BY
                                          S.O.

0300 PM    DE KALB                   TX   TORNADO
05/04/99   BOWIE                          DAMAGE AND INJURIES AND A
                                          CONFIRMED SIGHTING OF
                                          TORNADO REPORTED BY STATE
                                          TROOPER JUST NORTH OF
                                          DE KALB.
03
Local storm report, May 4, 6:30 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
630 PM CDT TUE MAY 04 1999

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....PARISH/COUNTY LOCATION....

0420 PM    NASHVILLE                 AR   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/99   HOWARD                         REPORTED BY BROADCAST
                                          MEDIA.

0420 PM    2 N FOUKE                 AR   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/99   MILLER                         REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

0420 PM    HALLSVILLE                TX   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/04/99   HARRISON                       TREES DOWN ACROSS WEST
                                          SIDE OF COUNTY. REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. NWS
                                          TORNADO SURVEY PENDING.

0420 PM    MARSHALL                  TX   80 MPH TSTM GUST
05/04/99   HARRISON                       1 HOUSE WITH ROOF BLOWN
                                          OFF ON WEST SIDE OF TOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT. NWS TORNADO
                                          SURVEY PENDING.

0435 PMN    10 E TEXARKANA            AR   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/99   MILLER                         REPORTED BY GENERAL
                                          PUBLIC.

20
Local storm report, May 4, 7:08 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
708 PM CDT TUE MAY 04 1999

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....PARISH/COUNTY LOCATION....

1243 PM    2 E BLAKENEY              TX   TORNADO
05/04/99   RED RIVER                      REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT ON HWY 37 NEAR
                                          THE RED RIVER.  5-6 HOUSES
                                          WERE DAMAGED. NWS TORNADO
                                          SURVEY PENDING.

1250 PM    5 W IDABEL                OK   TORNADO
05/04/99   MCCURTAIN                      REPORTED AT SHARPS LANDING
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. 1
                                          MOBILE HOME DESTROYED NWS
                                          TORNADO SURVEY PENDING.

0225 PM    6 N COOKVILLE             TX   TORNADO
05/04/99   TITUS                          1 HOUSE DAMAGED NEAR SUGAR
                                          HILL AT INTERSECTION OF
                                          NE35 AND NE31. REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER. NWS TORNADO SURVEY
                                          PENDING.

20

The office that day

Everything else NWS Shreveport, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHarrison, Marion47 min
May 4, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVSmith65 min
May 4, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVGregg48 min
May 4, 8:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHarrison64 min
May 4, 8:28 PM CDTTornado WarningSHVNacogdoches62 min
May 4, 9:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVShelby59 min
May 5, 2:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHarrison, Panola35 min
May 5, 2:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVNacogdoches33 min
May 5, 2:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVPanola, Shelby50 min
May 5, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVShelby50 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.