Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 73, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

December 22, 1986Bexar County, Comal County, Guadalupe County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Dec 22, 1986, 9:43 PM CST for Bexar County, Comal County, Guadalupe County, Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 22, 1986, 9:43 PM CST (03:43 UTC)
Expired
Dec 23, 1986, 2:00 AM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bexar County, TX, Comal County, TX, Guadalupe 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

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 252 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 1986-12-23Temperature 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1986-12-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -55 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
740 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-29 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.

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 230343
FFWSAT
TXC029-091-187-230800-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
943 PM CST MON DEC 22 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CST TUESDAY MORNING FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...BEXAR...COMAL AND GUADALUPE

IN SPITE OF A GENERAL DECREASE IN RAINFALL OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...
FLASH FLOODING CONTINUES ALONG MOST LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND SMALL CREEKS
IN BEXAR...COMAL AND GUADALUPE COUNTIES.  THERE HAS BEEN NO IMPROVEMENT
IN THE SITUATION SINCE EARLY THIS EVENING.  FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINS UPSTREAM
ADDS TO THE PROBLEMS OVER THE THREE COUNTY AREA.

FLOODING IS ALSO REPORTED ALONG CITY STREETS AND IN LOW AREAS AND POORLY
DRAINED AREAS.  MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS TAKING PLACE AT THIS TIME.
TO REPORT SEVERE FLOODING...CALL THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
THEY WILL TAKE ACTION LOCALLY AND RELAY YOUR REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO..TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER 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, Dec 22, 5:51 PM CST, 3 hours 52 minutes before
BULLETIN
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
555 PM CST MON DEC 22 1986

WIDESPREAD RAIN CONTINUED OVER MOST OF SOUTH TEXAS JUST BEFORE 600 PM.
THE RAIN AREA...AS INDICATED BY WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND SATELLITE
OBSERVATIONS...WAS MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD.

RAINFALL TOTALS SINCE LAST NIGHT FROM THE HILL COUNTRY SOUTHEASTWARD TO
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS HAVE AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES.  RAINFALL FROM
FREDERICKSBURG TO SAN MARCOS...SEGUIN...JOURDANTON AND SAN ANTONIO BACK
TO FREDERICKSBURG AVERAGED FROM 2 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF
MORE THAN 4 INCHES.  SO FAR...THE GREATEST RAIN REPORT WAS NEAR 6 INCHES
FROM THE CITY OF LIVE OAK...JUST NORTHEAST OF SAN ANTONIO.

THE WIDESPREAD RAIN HAS SATURATED THE GROUND...CAUSING SOME SHORT LIVED
FLOODING OF URBAN STREETS AND ROADS.  LOW LYING AREAS AND POORLY DRAINED
AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS AS WELL...AS RAIN IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE FROM THE HILL COUNTRY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT.

MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION ON THE WET AND SLICK STREETS...AVOID
FLOODED LOW-WATER CROSSINGS AND NOT TRY TO DRIVE AROUND BARRICADES.
PARENTS SHOULD MAKE CERTAIN CHILDREN DO NOT PLAY IN OR NEAR FLOODED
STREAMS OR CREEKS.

FLOODING IS ALSO OCCURRING ALONG PORTIONS OF LEON CREEK AND SALADO CREEK
IN SAN ANTONIO.  LEON CREEK NEAR KELLY AIR FORCE BASE IS EXPECTED TO
REMAIN AT 10 TO 12 FEET THROUGH MIDNIGHT...FLOOD STAGE IS 13 FEET.
THE HEAVIEST FLOODING ALONG SALADO CREEK IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM NEAR
LOOP 410 IN NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION
OF THE CITY TO NEAR LOOP 13.  PERSONS LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING
ALONG THIS PORTION OF SALADO CREEK SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE
LOCATION.
Special weather statement, Dec 22, 9:22 PM CST, 21 minutes before
RAINFALL REPORT FOR BEXAR COUNTY AND SURRONDING AREA...
7 PM DEC 21 1986 TO 7 PM DEC 23 1986 .... REPORTED BY THE BEXAR
COUNTY HAM RADIO NETWORK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
915 PM CST MON DEC 22 1986

OUTSIDE BEXAR COUNTY...
  PIPE CREEK 2.10   SEGUIN  2.93
  MEDINA LAKE 2.10  7 EAST OF BOERNE 3.50
  DEVINE 4.20       SAN MARCOS 4.75
  MEDINA LAKE 3.65  CANYON LAKE 3.70

BEXAR COUNTY..NORTH SIDE
  ENCINO PARK  2.75                    BLANCO ROAD AT 410  3.75
  ALAMO STADIUM  4.20                  BLANCO ROAD AT FRESNO 4.50
  I 10 AND FRESNO 3.85                 DELVIEU  3.65
  4 NORTH OF THE AIRPORT 3.80          BULVERDE  4.50
  EDISON HIGH SCHOOL 3.95

NORTHWEST SIDE...
  VANCE JACKSON AND LOOP 410  3.85    CASTLE HILLS  3.96
  LEON VALLEY  3.00                   ROLLING RIDGE  3.55
  HONEY HILL  3.00                    TRINITY UNIVERSITY 4.50
  WOODLAWN HEIGHTS  4.00
  WONDERLAND  4.00
  THUNDERBIRD HILLS  3.90
  GLEN OAKS PARK 3.20

WEST SIDE...

  HIGHWAY 90 AND LOOP 410  3.30
  LACKLAND  3.60

SOUTHWEST SIDE...

  HERITAGE PARK  3.30

SOUTH SIDE...

  STINSON FIELD 5.80

SOUTHEAST SIDE...
  PECAN VALLEY  4.50
  HIGHLAND HILLS 3.80
  VON bARMY 4.40
  CHINA GROVE 3.00

NORTHEAST SIDE...

  WURZBACH AT I 35  5.50
  JUDSON ROAD AND NACOGDOCHES 4.55
  FORT SAM HOUSTON 5.00
  WINDCREST 5.70
  I 35 AT VANDIVER  5.55

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 22, 6:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar, Comal, Guadalupe4 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.