Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 61, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 16, 1986Dimmit County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1986, 6:54 PM CDT for Dimmit County, Texas. It was in force for 66 min. 2 reports 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 16, 1986, 6:54 PM CDT (23:54 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1986, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Dimmit 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 16, 7:05 PM CDTHail 0.75Dimmit, TX
May 16, 7:50 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Dimmit, 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

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 12:00Z on 1986-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2678 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, Del Rio, TX at 12:00Z on 1986-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 201 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
2678 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-86 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
540 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
201 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
318 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.6
Supercell composite
14.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 162354
SVRSAT
TXC127-170100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
654 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY OF

TEXAS...DIMMIT

AT 650 PM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED APPROXIMATELY
20 MILES WEST OF CARIZZO SPRINGS IN EXTREME NORTHWEST DIMMIT
COUNTY.  THIS STORM PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN AS IT MOVED ACROSS THE CENTRAL MAVERICK COUNTY.  THE STORM
IS MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.  PERSONS IN
AND NEAR THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM SHOULD TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY.

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 L%OCAL RADIO..TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER
EVENT.

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 16, 3:07 PM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
306 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

 ...DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IN THE DEL RIO AREA...

AT 305 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A INTENSE THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES WEST OF
THE DEL RIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.  MGVEMENT WAS TOWARDS THE EAST AT
10 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS STORM IS APPROACHING THE SEVERE..PERSONS IN THE CITY OF DEL RIO
AND VICINITY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HEAVY RAIN..SMALL HAIL..STRONG
WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WITH THIS STORM.

YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO STATIONS AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
RADIO SINCE THIS STORM IS INCREASING RAPIDLY A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
WARNING MAY BE ISSUED ON VERY SHORT NOTICE.
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
400 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

AT 400 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN
MEXICO MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT ABOUT 10 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL
MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF KINNEY AND MAVERICK COUNTIES WITHIN
THE HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS WITH POSSIBLE HAIL AND
HIGH WINDS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO SJTATIONS AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AS THESE STORMS DEVELOPE.
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:24 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
515 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS. AT 515 PM CDT
HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN MEXICO SOUTH OF DEL RIO MOVING
EASTWARD INTO KINNEY COUNTY AT ABOUT 25 MPH. ANOTHER STRONG STORM WHICH
EARLIER HAD PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL AT COMSTOCK IN VAL VERDE COUNTY
CONTINUED EASTWARD MOVEMENT ACROSS EDWARDS COUNTY.

YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO STATIONS AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AS THESE STORMS DEVELOPE.
Special weather statement, May 16, 6:02 PM CDT, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
600 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

     ....VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM AT EAGLE PASS IN MAVERICK COUNTY....

AT 6PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
ALONG THE RIO GRANDE AT EAGLE PASS IN MAVERICK COUNTY.  REPORTS RECEIVED
FROM THE PUBLIC INDICATE HEAVY RAIN AND 3/4 INCH HAIL AS THIS STORM
CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE RIVER. THE STORM CONTINUES MOVEMENT TOWARD
THE SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 25 MILES AN HOUR.

PLEASE STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO STATIONS AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS REGARDING THIS STORM.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde62 min
May 16, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde65 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.