Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 19, 1987Guadalupe County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at May 19, 1987, 8:09 PM CDT for Guadalupe County, Texas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 19, 1987, 8:09 PM CDT (01:09 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 1987, 11:15 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Guadalupe 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, 1.2 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 1987-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1600 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Victoria Regiona, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1600 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
870 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 200109
FFWSAT
TXC187-200415-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
809 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...GUADALUPE
 
 
BETWEEN 3 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN OVER GUADALUPE COUNTY AND
HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE TO FALL.  SMALL STREAMS ARE OUT OF THEIR BANKS
AND THE LARGER RIVERS ARE BEGINNING TO RISE.  MANY LOCAL ROADS ARE
LIKELY FLOODED AND CONDITIONS WILL ONLY WORSEN.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED.
 
REMEMBER...DEATHS DURING FLASH FLOODING ARE FREQUENTLY RELATED TO
MOTORISTS DRIVING INTO FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS OR FROM CHILDREN
PLAYING NEAR FLOODED STREAMS OR DRAINAGE AREAS.
 
PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGA[RDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.

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, May 19, 2:33 PM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
232 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH SMALL HAIL LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF SAN
MARCOS...

WIDELY SCATTERED BUT VERY SHORT-LIVED> INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE
TO RAPIDLY FORM AND MOVE NORTHWARD AT 20 MPH OVER CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE
HEAVIEST RAINS WERE NORTH OF GEORGETOWN...NEAR JARRELL AND ABOUT HALF
WAY BETWEEN SAN MARCOS AND SEGUIN.
Special weather statement, May 19, 3:17 PM CDT, 4 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
315 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 1987

AT 310 PM CDT A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS  HAD DEVELOPED SOUTH OF
COMSTOCK AND EXTENDED TO THE NORTHERN VAL VERDE COUNTY LINE.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY. THE
LARGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR COMSTOCK. THE STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG
GUSTY WIND|S ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS.
Special weather statement, May 19, 3:23 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
320 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH SMALL HAIL SCATTERED AROUND CENTRAL TEXAS...

NUMEROUS SMALL... BUT QUITE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHWARD AT 20 MPH OVER CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE
HEAVIEST RAINS WERE ALONG A 30 MILE WIDE BAND FROM CENTRAL BELL
COUNTY TO LAKE TRAVIS... NEW BRAUNFELS AND ON SOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO.
Special weather statement, May 19, 4:20 PM CDT, 3 hours 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
420 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 1987

AT 415 PM CDT LOCAL WEATHER RADAR SHOWED WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NEARLY ALL OF THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA. VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE LOCATED IN SOUTHWEST HAYS COUNTY AND IN EASTERN HAYS COUNTY. THESE
INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTH AT 20 TO 30 MPH AND WILL BE
MOVING ACROSS HAYS COUNTY AND INTO TRAVIS COUNTY BY 5 PM.

OTHER INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF BURNET AND NEAR
JOHNSON CITY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
UNTIL 9 PM THIS TUESDAY EVENING.

RUSH HOUR MOTORISTS IN AUSTIN SHOULD ANTICIPATE SOME HEAVY RAIN AND
POSSIBLE SMAALL HAIL ALONG WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS WHILE DRIVING HOME.
Special weather statement, May 19, 6:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
615 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 1987

AT 6 PM CDT LOCAL WEATHER RADAR SHOWED WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NEARLY ALL OF THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA. AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS
LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF AUSTIN OVER SOUTHERN TRAVIS COUNTY AND NORTHERN
CALDWELL COUNTY MOVING TOWARDS BASTROP COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM MAY
PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS TO NEAR 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL
AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS IT MOVES TOWARDS AND INTO BASTROP COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
UNTIL 9 PM THIS TUESDAY EVENING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 7:26 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar3 hr
May 19, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar60 min
May 19, 8:28 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBexar62 min
May 19, 8:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMcMullen55 min
May 19, 9:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe59 min
May 19, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilson66 min
May 19, 10:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales, Karnes65 min
May 19, 11:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt55 min
May 20, 12:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLavaca55 min
May 20, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXFrio61 min
May 20, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar2 hr
May 20, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXFrio66 min

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.