Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 4, 1987Bexar County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 1987, 5:59 AM CDT for Bexar County, Texas. It was in force for 61 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 4, 1987, 5:59 AM CDT (10:59 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1987, 7:00 AM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Bexar 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, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 1987-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3052 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 1987-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 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
3052 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
743 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 041059
SVRSAT
TXC029-041200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
559 AM CDT MON MAY 4 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY OF

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...BEXAR

AT 555 AM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED IN WESTERN
BEXAR COUNTY MOVING EASTWARD INTO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING..STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL
LIKELY OCCUR IN THIS STORM.  IN ADDITION..LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
AND FLOODING OFTEN ACCOMPANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

 AT 545 AM CDT...MARBLE-SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED IN THE SOUTHWEST
 PART OF BEXAR COUNTY AND SAN ANTONIO.

REMEMBER..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.

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 LOCAL 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

Local storm report, May 4, 1:06 AM CDT, 4 hours 53 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
108 AM CDT MON MAY 4 1987

TIME       EVENT

1245 AM    GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN CITY OF HARWOOD GONZALES COUNTY.
Special weather statement, May 4, 2:41 AM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
240 AM CDT MON MAY 5 19877

AT 235 AM CDT RADAR INDICATES A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM STEPHENVILLE TO 5 MILES EAST OF GOLDTHWAITE...10 MILES
WEST OF LAKE BUCHANAN...30 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARBLE FALLS
40 MILES WEST OF KERRVILLE. HEAVY RAINS...HIGH WINDS AND HAIL IS
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. THE LINE IS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST
NEAR 15 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE WEAKEN IN GONZALES COUNTY.

PERSONS SHOULD  STAY ALERT AND CHECK FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION BEFORE LEAVING FOR WORK.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITION
WARRENT.
Special weather statement, May 4, 3:41 AM CDT, 2 hours 18 minutes before
BULLETIN
SMALL STREAM FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
340 AM CDT MON MAY 4 1987

FLOODING OF LOW-WATER CROSSINGS...CREEKS AND ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
ADJACENT TO FLOOD-PRONE CREEKS AND RIVERS IN VAL VERDE COUNTY
CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

WEATHER SERVICE RADARS HAVE NOTED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ALMOST
STATIONARY IN VAL VERDE COUNTY BETWEEN DEL RIO AND COMSTOCK.
LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS ALONG US 90 AND ALONG
US 277 AND US 377 MAY BE IN PROGRESS DUE TO THE RAINS THAT
HAVE PERSISTED THIS MORNING.

MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AND AVOID FLOOD-PRONE
ROADS...HIGHWAYS AND LOW-WATER CROSSINGS.  RESIDENTS CLOSE TO
NORMALLY DRY ARROYOS AND CREEK BEDS SHOULD ALSO STAY ALERT FOR
RAPIDLY RISING WATERS.  IF THE RAINS CONTINUE...A FLASH FLOOD
WARNING MAY BE REQUIRED.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED THIS MORNING AS
CONDITIONS WARRANT...SO PLEASE STAY TUNED.
Special weather statement, May 4, 3:47 AM CDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
345 AM CDT MON MAY 4 1987

AT 340 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM THE FORT WORTH METROPLEX AREA TO HILLSBORO NEAR TEMPLE
TO FREDERICKSBURG TO EAST OF DEL RIO IN KINNEY COUNTY. THIS LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL
WILL LIKELY OCCUR AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL COUNTRY THIS MONDAY MORNING.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED DURING THE MORNING AS CONDITIONS
WARRENT.
Special weather statement, May 4, 4:21 AM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
420 AM CDT MON MAY 4 1987

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS INDICATED IN THE DEL RIO AREA...

AT 410 AM CDT A LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING THROUGH THE
DEL RIO...LAUGHLIN AFB AREA. WHILE THE MOST INTENSE AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS WAS NEAR THE GARDNER STATE PARK...A VERY HEAVY
THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF DEL RIO NEAR LAUGHLIN AFB.
AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO LOCATED NEAR BRACKETVLLE. THIS LINE
OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOTHEAST AT 20 MPH. INDIVIDUAL
STORMS WITHIN THIS LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL HAS
BEEN REPORTED OUT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS GONZALES COUNTY.

BOATERS ON LAKE AMISTAD SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THIS STORM SITUATION
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, May 4, 4:59 AM CDT, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
455 AM CDT MON MAY 4 1987

AT 450 AM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDER
STORM NEAR BLANCO.DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND
STRONG WINDS WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THIS STORM AS IT MOVES THROUGH
BLANCO AND TRAVIS COUNTIES.

A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
AND THE HILL COUNTRY EXTENDING FROM NORTH OF WACO TO 20 MILES WEST
OF THE AUSTIN AIRPORT TO ACROSS THE HIIL COUNTRY TO BRACKETTVILLE
IN KINNEY COUNTY.
THE NORTHERN PART OF THIS LINE MOVING EASTSOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE
SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE LINE BECOMING MORE STATIONARY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO AND T.V. FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 10:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis63 min
May 3, 10:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson68 min
May 3, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXCaldwell65 min
May 3, 11:44 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell61 min
May 4, 12:09 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXGonzales66 min
May 4, 12:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLavaca64 min
May 4, 1:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards66 min
May 4, 2:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Edwards, Kerr, Real, Uvalde58 min
May 4, 2:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKinney58 min
May 4, 3:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Medina, Uvalde58 min
May 4, 3:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKendall, Kerr58 min
May 4, 4:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Medina66 min
May 4, 6:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe, Wilson69 min
May 4, 6:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMaverick66 min
May 4, 7:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXZavala68 min
May 4, 10:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDimmit73 min
May 4, 11:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWebb56 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1987Every severe thunderstorm 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.