Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

August 11, 1986Galveston County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Aug 11, 1986, 2:12 PM CDT for Galveston County, Texas. It was in force for 76 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 1986, 2:12 PM CDT (19:12 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 1986, 3:28 PM CDT
In force
76 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Galveston 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, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 209 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 1986-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1889 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 1986-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -69 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1889 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
682 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-69 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-27 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 KGLS 111912   
TORGLS
TXC167-112012-

BULLETIN-EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX
212 PM CDT MON AUG 11 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE
UNTIL 312 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN

SOUTHEAST TEXAS...GALVESTON

AT 2OO PM SANTE FE POLICE REPORT A TORNADO ON THE GROUND AT THE KIDDO
TACQUARD RANCH AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 2004 AND HIGHWAY 646 IN
NORTHWEST GALVESTON COUNTY.

IF YOU SEE OR HEAR A TORNADO... TAKE THE FOLLOWING SAFETY MEASURES.
SEEK INSIDE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY... PROTECT YOUR HEAD AND EYES... LIE
FLAT AND MAKE AS SMALL A TARGET AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SHELTER
UNTIL THE STORM THREAT IS OVER.
IF INDOORS... SEEK SHELTER AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND HEAVY FURNITURE.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Aug 11, 10:45 AM CDT, 3 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX
1045 AM CDT MON AUG 11 1986

 ...FUNNEL CLOUDS SIGHTED ALONG HIGHWAY 2004 SOUTH OF CHOCALATE
BAYOU...

AT 1030 AM CDT... A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WAS OCCURRING 10 MILES
NORTH OF JASPER.

MOVEMENT WAS WEST AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.

NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND VERY HEAVY THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OCCURRING ACROSS
SOUTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND THE NORTHWEST GULF FROM
COLLEGE STATION TO WHITE LAKE TO 100 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON.

THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTH OF EAGLE LAKE...FROM
LIBERTY TO GOODRICH...NEAR SABINE...AND 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
GALVESTON.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHWEST AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Aug 11, 1:49 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
150 PM CDT MON AUG 11 1986

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN FORT BEND...POLK AND SAN JACINTO
COUNTIES...

VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN FORT BEND COUNTY IN THE RICHMOND
ROSENBURG AND SUGARLAND AREA.  ALSO VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE
IN THE LAKE LIVINGSTON AREA OF POLK AND SAN JACINTO COUNTIES.
THESE THUNDESTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS SOME HAIL
AND INTENSE LIGHTING AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

BOATERS AND FISHERMEN ON LAKE LIVINGSTON SHOULD HEAD FOR SAFE HARBOUR.
CAMPERS IN THE AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
LIGHTING.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 10, 9:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk55 min
Aug 11, 1:44 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXFort Bend61 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.