Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 27, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

June 4, 1986Bexar County, Comal County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Jun 4, 1986, 12:47 AM CDT for Bexar County, Comal County, Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 4, 1986, 12:47 AM CDT (05:47 UTC)
Expired
Jun 4, 1986, 5:00 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bexar County, TX, Comal County, TX

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Victoria Regiona, TX (KVCT), launched 00:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 169 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, Victoria Regiona, TX at 00:00Z on 1986-06-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1536 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, Victoria Regiona, TX at 00:00Z on 1986-06-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 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
1536 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
811 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 040547
FFWSAT
TXC029-091-041000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1247 AM CDT WED JUN 4 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...BEXAR AND COMAL

AT 1240 AM CDT..A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS PASSING OVER SAN ANTONIO
AND BEXAR COUNTY..MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST TOWARD COMAL COUNTY
AT 10 TO 15 MPH.  CLOSE TO AN INCH OF RAIN HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN
PARTS OF SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY WITHIN THE PAST HALF HOUR.
SINCE THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM PRIOR RAINS..THIS ADDITIONAL
AMOUNT WILL NOT SOAK IN BUT RUN OFF RAPIDLY INTO ALREADY SWOLLEN
OR FLOODED CREEKS AND RIVERS..GREATLY ADDING TO THE THREAT OF
FLASH FLOODING.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED.  TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AS REQUIRED TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY.

REMEMBER..DEATHS DURING FLASH FLOODING ARE FREQUENTLY RELATED TO
MOTORISTS DRIVING INTO FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OFTEN ACCOMPANY FLASH FLOOD
PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY.  YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
TO RELAY YOUR SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.

PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO..TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR L1ATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS HEAVY RAIN EVENT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Jun 3, 9:24 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
930 PM CDT TUE JUN 3 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN GONZALES COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS BECOME STATIONARY IN WESTERN GONZALES
COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST WEST OF THE CITY OF
GONZALES NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF OAK FOREST.

THIS THUNDERSTORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN.  LOW AREAS IN
ROADWAYS AND A FEW LOW WATER CROSSINGS ARE LIKELY UNDER WATER.
MOTORISTS DRIVING ON 90A THROUGH WESTERN GONZALES COUNTY SHOULD
BE ALERT FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY RAIN AND WATER STANDING
IN LOW AREAS.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 9:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
955 PM CDT TUE JUN 3 1986

AT 940 PM CDT A LINE OF THUNDERSHOWERS HAD MOVED INTO VAL VERDE
COUNTY. THE THUNDERSHOWERS ARE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST. HEAVY
RAIN IS INDICATED IN SOME OF THE SHOWERS.  WITH THE SLOW MOVEMENT AND
ALREADY SATURATED GROUND..RUN OFF COULD OCCUR RAPIDLY.

MOTORIST SHOUD USE CAUTION IN LOW AREAS AND IF FLOODED THEY SHOULD NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 11:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1115 PM CDT TUE JUN 3 1986

...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE GUADALUPE AND GONZALES COUNTY...

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS ALONG THE GUADALUPE AND GONZALES
COUNTY LINE NORTHEAST TO NEAR LULING TEXAS.  THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
IS MOVING SLOWLY NORTH AND IS CAUSING HEAVY RAINS IN NORTHWEST
GONZALES COUNTY AND SOUTHEAST GUADALUPE COUNTY.

MOTORISTS DRIVING THROUGH& THIS AREA ARE URGED TO BE ALERT FOR
REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY RAIN AND WATER COVERING LOW AREAS
IN THE ROAD.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 11:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1135 PM CDT TUE JUN 3 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHERN BEXAR COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS FORMED OVER SOUTHERN BEXAR COUNTY.  THE
THUNDERSTORM IS LOCATED SOUTH OF LOOP 410 AND NEAR EAST LAKE AND
IS MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST.

THIS THUNDERSTORM CONTAINS HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS.  MOTORISTS
DRIVING THROUGH SOUTHERN BEXAR COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR REDUC4ED
VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY RAIN AND WATER COVERING LOW AREAS ON THE
ROADWAY.  FISHERMEN ON THE LAKES IN SOUTHERN AND EASTERN BEXAR
COUNTY SHOULD SEEK SHELTER FROM LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS
IMMEDIATELY.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 11:53 PM CDT, 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
1153 PM CDT TUE JUN 3 1986

AT 1150 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS NORTHWEST OF
DEL RIO..NEAR COMSTOCK. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15
MILES AN HOUR.

HEAVY RAIN..SMALL HAIL..STRONG WINDS..AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND LOW LYING
AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION IN LOW LYING AREAS.

LISTEN TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 3, 8:58 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBurnet3 hr
Jun 4, 3:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar, Comal, Guadalupe5 hr
Jun 4, 3:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXMedina5 hr
Jun 4, 7:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar, Comal, Guadalupe4 hr
Jun 4, 7:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXMedina4 hr
Jun 4, 9:01 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa3 hr
Jun 4, 11:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1986Every flash flood 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.