Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 17, 1986Gonzales County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1986, 3:48 PM CDT for Gonzales County, Texas. It was in force for 72 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
May 17, 1986, 3:48 PM CDT (20:48 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1986, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
72 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Gonzales 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 17, 4:40 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Gonzales, 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

Victoria Regiona, TX (KVCT), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 1986-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1627 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 1986-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 171 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1627 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-289 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
922 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
171 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
256 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 172048
TORSAT
TXC177-172200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
348 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...GONZALES

AT 340 PM CDT..RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN EAST GUADALUPE
COUNTY MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND APPROACHING
GONZALES COUNTY.  RESIDENTS OF GONZALES COUNTY SHOULD BE
PREPARED TO TAKE COVER IF A TORNADO APPROACHES.

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GUADALUPE COUNTY UNTIL
430 PM CDT.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING..STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL
LIKELY ACCOMPANY THIS STORM.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
OR A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR
BUILDING.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.

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 LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER
EVENT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDimmit59 min
May 16, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLa Salle60 min
May 17, 9:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLampasas, Mills, San Saba61 min
May 17, 11:24 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXBurnet, Williamson66 min
May 17, 11:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLlano66 min
May 17, 11:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet, Lampasas, San Saba62 min
May 17, 11:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLlano62 min
May 17, 12:21 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBlanco, Burnet, Llano69 min
May 17, 12:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXComal56 min
May 17, 12:52 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXTravis68 min
May 17, 1:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson66 min
May 17, 1:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays67 min
May 17, 1:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBastrop, Lee66 min
May 17, 1:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBlanco, Hays3 hr
May 17, 1:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBurnet3 hr
May 17, 1:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBastrop, Lee, Travis, Williamson3 hr
May 17, 3:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLavaca55 min
May 17, 3:31 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXGuadalupe59 min
May 17, 3:34 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXLavaca56 min
May 17, 3:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBastrop65 min
May 17, 3:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBastrop32 min
May 17, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt64 min
May 17, 3:53 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXLavaca67 min
May 17, 3:59 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXDeWitt61 min
May 17, 4:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWebb68 min
May 17, 4:35 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXLavaca55 min
May 17, 4:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVictoria80 min
May 17, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXJackson, Victoria61 min
May 17, 5:17 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXGoliad43 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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.