Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Brownsville, TX
NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 20, 1986, 4:18 AM CST for Starr County, Zapata County, Texas. It was in force for 57 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
- Apr 20, 1986, 4:18 AM CST (10:18 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 20, 1986, 5:15 AM CST
- In force
- 57 min
- Issued by
- NWS Brownsville, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Starr County, TX, Zapata County, TX
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 4:28 AM CST | Hail 2.75 | Starr, 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. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 183 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
- 2500 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -221 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 930 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 85 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.4
The text
The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Apr 20, 2:48 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 245 AM CST SUN APR 20 1986 AT 225 AM CST RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS 70 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON SOUTHWEST TO 20 MILES NORTH OF ZAPATA. THIS LINE IS MOVING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINS COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE VALLEY SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK THIS MORNING. DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR IS IN STORE FOR THE VALLEY IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUSJ WHEN VENTURING OUT TO OPEN WATERS DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY ROUGH SEAS. THE LINE IS PRESENTLY MOVING INTO THE BAFFIN BAY AREA. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 3:51 AM CST, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 350 AM CST SUN APR 20 1986 AT 325 AM CST RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GALVESTON SOUTHWEST TO THE VICINITY OF FALFURRIAS. THIS AREA IS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. ANOTHER AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF FALCON LAKE IS DEVELOPING VERY RAPIDLY. GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINS COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE VALLEY SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK THIS MORNING. DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR IS IN STORE FOR THE VALLEY IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS WHEN VENTURING OUT TO OPEN WATERS DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY ROUGH SEAS. THE EDGE OF THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND OVER THE BAFFIN BAY AREA. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 4:59 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo | 61 min |
| Apr 20, 6:00 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Cameron, Hidalgo | 60 min |
| Apr 20, 6:58 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Cameron | 62 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986
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.