Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 57, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 15, 1986Lee County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1986, 8:09 AM CDT for Lee County, Texas. It was in force for 66 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 1986, 8:09 AM CDT (13:09 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1986, 9:15 AM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Lee 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 12:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 163 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 12:00Z on 1986-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1571 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 12:00Z on 1986-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 163 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
1571 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-284 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
466 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAUS 151309
SVRAUS
TXC287-151415-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
809 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY OF

TEXAS...LEE

AT 810  AM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY RADAR
IN THE EASTERN CORNER OF BASTROP COUNTY AND WILL BE MOVING
ACROSS LEE COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING TOWARD THE
CITY OF GIDDINGS.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING..STRONG DAMAGING WIND AND POSSIBLE HAIL MAY
ACCOMPANY THIS STORM.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY AND YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEABREST 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 FOR
LATER STATEMENTS REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE.

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, May 15, 3:15 AM CDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
315 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY...

SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING THROUGH THE TEXAS HILL
COUNTRY.  AT 315 AM THIS MORNING THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM NEAR ROCKSPRINGS..THROUGH NORTHERN REAL COUNTY..INTO NORTHERN
KERR COUNTY.   THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 20 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAUSING BRIEF HEAVY RAINS..GUSTY WINDS..
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS COVERS ATASCOSA..WILSON AND GONZALES
COUNTIES.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS AND MAY
BE CAUSING LOW WATER CROSSINGS TO FLOOD IN THESE COUNTIES.  MOTORISTS
DRIVING THROUGH ATASCOSA..WILSON AND GONZALES COUNTIES SHOULD BE
ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
<
THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO
WILL LIKELY CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE DISSIPATING
ABOUT SUNRISE.
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:03 AM CDT, 4 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
4 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

JUST BEFORE 4 AM RADAR IDICATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER GILLESPIE
BLANCO WILLIAMSON AND HAYS COUNTIES MOVING EASTWARD AT NEAR 40 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORM MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS..BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL
SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD FOR THE NEXT
HOUR. THE THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR WEST ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE CITY OF
AUSTIN NEAR 5AM.

MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION AT LOW LYING AREAS
WHERE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE FLOODING.
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:04 AM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
5 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

...AT 5 AM THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING THROUGH THE AUSTIN AREA..
AND MORE ARE ON THE WAY...

RADAR SHOWS THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS FROM SOUTH OF TEMPLE
TO SAN MARCOS AND WEST TO FREDERICKSBURG. HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS
EXTEND FROM LAKE TRAVIS TO NEAR SAN MARCOS AND ARE MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AT 40 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY EMS IN ELGIN.. BUT DUE TO THE RAPID
MOVEMENT OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS THE MAIN HAZARD WITH THE STORMS
WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION AT LOW LYING AREAS
WHERE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE FLOODING.
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:10 AM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
510 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NORTH AND NORTHEAST
OF SAN ANTONIO AT 510 AM THIS MORNING MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN BANDERA..KENDALL..KERR..
AND COMAL COUNTIES AFT 510 AM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAUSING BRIEF HEAVY RAINS..GUSTY WINDS..
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

LOW WATER CROSSINGS COULD BE FLOODED WHERE HEAVY RAINS HAVE FALLEN..
THEREFORE MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
STREETS AND HIGHWAYS WILL REMAIN SLIPPERY FOR THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS
CAUSING ANOTHER HAZARD TO DRIVING.
Special weather statement, May 15, 6:09 AM CDT, 2 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
610 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

AT 610 AM RADAR SHOWS HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS FROM
SOUTH OF GEORGETOWN TO LAKE TRAVIS.. JOHNSON CITY AND SOUTH TO BLANCO.
ANOTHER AREA OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM TAYLOR AND ELGIN TO
SMITHVILLE.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

RAINFALL AT THE AUSTIN AIRPORT HAS TOTALED .37 INCH THIS MORNING.
AN ADDITIONAL .11 INCH FELL LAST NIGHT FOR A 12 HOUR TOTAL OF NEARLY
1/2 INCH (.48).

MORE THUNDER SHOWERS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE METROPOLITAN AREA
BETWEEN 630 AND 800 AM THIS MORNING.

MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS
WHERE HeEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE FLOODING.
Special weather statement, May 15, 7:05 AM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
700 AM CDT THU MAY 15 1986

AT 700 AM RADAR SHOWS VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE
AUSTIN METROPOLITAN AREA. HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND FROM ELGIN TO
AUSTIN TO KYLE.. AND OTHER HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE COLLEGE
STATION AREA.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

RAINFALL AT THE AUSTIN AIRPORT HAS TOTALED 1.22 SINCE MIDNIGHT.
PEA SIZE HAIL WA>S REPORTED AT CEDAR PARK. AND MOTHBALL HAIL
AT BEE CAVE.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OUT OF THE AUSTIN AREA BY 8 AM THIS MORNING.

MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND
AT LOW AREAS IN THE URBAN AREAS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 7:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde73 min
May 14, 8:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXSan Saba64 min
May 15, 7:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBastrop66 min
May 15, 11:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurleson, Milam59 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.