Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

June 4, 1987Caldwell County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Jun 4, 1987, 3:32 AM CDT for Caldwell County, Texas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 4, 1987, 3:32 AM CDT (08:32 UTC)
Expired
Jun 4, 1987, 6:30 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Caldwell 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 00:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 130 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 00:00Z on 1987-06-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 175 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 00:00Z on 1987-06-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 79 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
175 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-177 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
986 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 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 040832
FFWAUS
TXC055-041130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
332 AM CDT THU JUN 4 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

TEXAS...CALDWELL

AUSTIN RADAR HAS INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAINS MOVING NORTH AND NORTHWESTWARD OVER CALDWELL COUNTY
FOR THE PAST TWO HOUR. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS BEEN
OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS BUT THAT IS NOW MOVING NORTHWARD.

MORE HEAVY RAINS ARE INDICATED  TO THE SOUTH OF CALDWELL
COUNTY MOVING NORTHWARD WHICH WILL ADD TO THE FLOODING
PROBLEM.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION.  TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.

REMEMBER THAT DEATHS DURING FLASH FLOODING ARE OFTEN RELATED TO
MOTORISTS DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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, Jun 3, 10:36 PM CDT, 4 hours 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1035 PM CDT WED JUN 3 1987

THE FOLLOWING ARE 24 HOUR RAINFALL REPORTS FROM IN AND AROUND BEXAR
COUNTY AND SAN ANTONIO...ENDING AT 7 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING:

---OUTSIDE BEXAR COUNTY---        ---INSIDE BEXAR COUNTY---
CAMP VERDE               4.25          ---NORTHSIDE---
BANADERA 4W              4.11     AIRPORT 4N               1.15
DEVINE                   2.80     SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT      0.94
HONDO 10N                2.35     ALAMO STADIUM            2.30
MEDINA 12W               5.19     BEACON HILL              1.90
MEDINA 6N                6.50     BLANCO AND 410           1.50
MEDINA LAKE              2.32     BULVERDE                 1.40
PIPE CREEK               2.47     EDISON HIGH SCHOOL       2.20
                                  FRDRKSBG RD/HILLCREST    1.75
---NORTHWEST SIDE---              I-10 AND FRESNO          2.23
CASTLE HILLS             1.85     LEON SPRINGS             1.55
CHARTER OAKS             1.90
<
ROLLING RIDGE            1.35     ---CENTRAL AREA---
THUNDERBIRD HILLS        1.38     NEAR FORT SAM            1.90
UNIVERSITY PARK          1.80     TRINITY UNIVERSITY       2.75
VANCE JACKSON AND 410    1.80
WOODLAWN HEIGHTS         2.00     ---WEST SIDE---
                                  COOLCREST                1.15
---SOUTHWEST SIDE---              HIGHWAY 90W-410          1.50
1604 AND HIGHWAY 281 S   2.30     NEAR LACKLAND            1.25
MOGSORD ROAD AND 1604    1.80

---SOUTHEAST SIDE---              ---NORTHEAST SIDE---
FORT SAM HOUSTON 1 N     1.15     CAMELOT                  2.00
HIGHLAND HILLS           2.50     FORT SAM HOUSTON         1.30
PECAN VALLEY             2.60     LARK LAIR                1.17
VON ORMY                 1.65     ALAMO HEIGHTS            1.75
CHINA GROVE              2.25     NORTHWOOD ESTATES        1.30
HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL     2.75     WINDCREST                1.50
                                  WURZBACH/ I-35           1.70

THESE REPORTS ARE FROM THE SAN ANTONIO/BEXAR SKYWARM RADIO/HAM
OPERATORS RAINFALL NETWORK.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 11:53 PM CDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
1145 PM CDT WED JUN 3 1987

...THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH THE NIGHT TONIGHT...

JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED HEAVY THUNDER-
STORMS FORMING IN THE SAN MARCOS AREA...MOVING WESTWARD AT 10 TO 15
MPH.  OTHER MOSTLY LIGHT RAINS WERE ALSO REDEVELOPING TO THE SOUTH
AND SOUTHEAST. WIDESPREAD RAINS COVER ABOUT 60 PERCENT OF CENTRAL
TEXAS..NORTH AND WEST OF A WACO...AUSTIN AND JUNCTION LINE.  OTHER
HEAVY SHOWERS REMAIN WEST AND NORTHWEST OF SAN ANTONIO...OVER THE
FLOODED MEDINA RIVER WATERSHED.

DURING THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS...RAIN ACTIVITY APPEARS TO BE INCREASING
IN AREAL COVERAGE, WITH ONLY A FEW SPOTS SHOWING INTENSITY LEVEL
INCREASES.  OUR MAIN CONCERN FOR THE NEXT 3 OR 4 HOURS WILL BE THOSE
COUNTIES TO THE SOUTH AND WEST OF AUSTIN, CALDWELL...HAYS...BLANCO AND
GILLESPIE.  PERSONS IN THOSE COUNTIES SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR THE ONSET
OF HEAVY RAIWNS AND BE PREPARED IF WARNINGS OR FLOODING TAKES PLACE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 4, 1:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXGonzales3 hr
Jun 4, 3:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXKendall110 min
Jun 4, 4:24 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXTravis3 hr
Jun 4, 4:44 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXLavaca2 hr
Jun 4, 5:02 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXGonzales4 hr
Jun 4, 6:35 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXLavaca2 hr
Jun 4, 7:31 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXCaldwell, Hays, Travis6 hr
Jun 4, 8:30 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXLavaca2 hr
Jun 4, 8:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBurnet, Williamson3 hr
Jun 4, 8:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXGonzales4 hr
Jun 4, 11:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar3 hr
Jun 4, 2:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXCalhoun60 min
Jun 4, 4:08 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa, Frio4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1987Every flash flood warning in 1987

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.