Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 15, 1987Uvalde County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1987, 3:45 AM CDT for Uvalde County, Texas. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 1987, 3:45 AM CDT (08:45 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1987, 4:45 AM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Uvalde 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

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 104 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3535 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 5 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
3535 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1144 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-12 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 150841
SVRSAT
TXC463-150945-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
345 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 445 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...UVALDE
 
AT 340 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A VERY
INTENSE THUNDERSTORM OVER WESTERN UVALDE COUNTY ABOUT 10 MILES WEST
OF THE CITY OF UVALDE.  MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...HAIL
3/4 INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN.
 
WHEN A THUNDERSTORM THREATENS...SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A HOME OR
BUILDING AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.  REFRAIN FROM USING ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES.
 
YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR
SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVIC<E 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

Special weather statement, May 14, 11:09 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
1107 PM CDT THU MAY 14 1987

VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER MEXICO AROUND 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
DEL RIO ARE BUILDING SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST. IF THESE THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUE TO BUILD TO THE NORTHEAST...THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT
A STORM COULD MOVE INTO THE CITY OF DEL RIO SOMETIME AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER MEXICO TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST
OF EAGLE PASS.

LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS NOTED OF THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ALTHOUGH
THE AREA OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY APPREARS TO BE 9BUILDING TO THE
NORTH AND NORTHEAST.
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:00 AM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
201 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

...THUNDERSTORMS OBSERVED IN THE DEL RIO AREA...

AT 200 AM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WITH RAINSHOWERS AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WERE OBSERVED AT THE DEL RIO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED DURING THE PAST HOUR FROM
THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN VAL VERDE COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING
TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH.

HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:10 AM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
210 AM CDT THU MAY 14 1987

VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE JUST MOVED INTO WESTERN EDWARDS
COUNTY. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND 15 MPH. THE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE VERY NEAR CARTA VALLEY AND SHOULD THEY CONTINUE
MOVING AT THIS SPEED THEY WILL BE IN THE ROCKS SPRINGS AREA SOMETIME
AFTER 3 AM THIS MORNING.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

PERSONS IN EDWARDS COUNTY SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE
NECESSARY ACTION SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED.
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:56 AM CDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
255 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1987

   ...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY...

A LINE OF VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING INTO WESTERN SECTIONS OF
EDWARDS AND KINNEY COUNTIES THIS MORNING.  MOVEMENT OF THE LINE IS EAST
AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR HAS INDICATED OVER THE PAST FEW MINUTES THAT A FEW
OF THE STORMS WITHIN THE LINE...ESPECIALLY OVER WESTERN EDWARDS COUNTY...
MAY BE PRODUCING STRONG SURFACE WIND.  IN ADDITION...PERIODS OF VERY
HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE AS THEY
CONTINUE EAST ACROSS THE COUNTIES.

RESIDENTS OF BOTH EDWARDS AND KINNEY COUNTIES SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR
THESE STORMS FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE NECESSARY
ACTIONS SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED.  STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO...TV...
NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 11:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde65 min
May 15, 12:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde75 min
May 15, 2:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde61 min
May 15, 4:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXUvalde30 min
May 15, 5:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMedina48 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.