Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at Mar 16, 1987, 5:42 PM CST for Val Verde County, Texas. It was in force for 58 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 16, 1987, 5:42 PM CST (23:42 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 16, 1987, 6:40 PM CST
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Val Verde County, TX
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 6:05 PM CST | Hail 4.5 | Val Verde, TX |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 66 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 616 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -133 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 562 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 170 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 320 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 0.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KSAT 162345 RRA TORDRT TXC465-170040- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX 542 PM CST MON MAR 16 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 640 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY IN SOUTHCENTRAL TEXAS...VAL VERDE. AT 540 PM CST RADAR INDICATED AN UNCONFIRMED TORNADO 10 MILES WEST OF DEL RIO MOVING TOWARD DEL RIO AT 25 MPH. GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED AT] LAKE AMISTAD. PEOPLE IN THE DEL RIO AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
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, Mar 16, 12:50 PM CST, 4 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX 1250 PM CST MON MAR 16 1987 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK POSSIBLE FOR SOUTH TEXAS TONIGHT... AN UPPER-LEVEL STORM SYSTEM...ALONG WITH AN ACCOMPANYING SURFACE COLD FRONT...IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH SOUTH TEXAS FROM THE WEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND PUSH ACROSS THE STATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE PUMPED NORTHWARD INTO TEXAS FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO. THIS RICH AND WARM MOISTURE-LADEN AIR WILL BE LIFTED THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO SURFACE HEATING AND LIFTED FURTHER TONIGHT INTO THUNDERSTORM CLOUDS AS THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH AND SURFACE FRONT TRIGGERS SEVERE WEATHER. THUNDERSTORMS WILL INITIALLY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND EDWARDS PLATEAU...THEN SWEEP EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE COASTAL BEND TONIGHT...AND INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS TUESDAY. ABOUT THE ONLY PART OF SOUTH TEXAS THAT MAY BE SPARED THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY...WHERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY STAY BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. SEVERE WEATHER IS ALSO FORECAST FOR MUCH OF NORTH TEXAS AND PARTS OF WEST TEXAS AS WELL. RESIDENTS OF SOUTH TEXAS...FROM THE HILL COUNTRY EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND COASTAL BEND INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS...SHOULD MONITOR RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO BROADCASTS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF SEVERE WEATHER IS SIGHTED...OR SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS ARE ISSUED. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IMPLY FREQUENT LIGHTNING...DAMAGING SURFACE WINDS OVER 58 MPH AND THREE-QUARTER INCH DIAMETER HAIL OR GREATER. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OFTEN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING...AS WELL AS LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS...LOW-WATER CROSSINGS OR STREETS AND ROADS. STAY TUNED. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED BY TEXAS WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES AS CONDITIONS DEVELOP. LISTEN FOR THESE BROADCASTS...AND HEED THEIR ADVICE. THEY COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.
Special weather statement, Mar 16, 3:38 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX 337 PM CST MON MAR 16 1987 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VAL VERDE COUNTY UNTIL 900 PM CST... AT 335 PM CST RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS FROM 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF DEL RIO TO 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF DEL RIO. THESE STORMS WERE BUILDING RAPIDLY AND MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH. BOATERS ON LAKE AMISTAD SHOULD KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THESE STORMS MOVE ACROSS LAKE AMISTAD. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN VAL VERDE COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 16, 4:01 PM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX 403 PM CST MON MAR 16 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM TONIGHT FOR MUCH OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AND EDWARDS PLATEAU... AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IN NEW MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY IN WEST TEXAS MOVES INTO CENTRAL TEXAS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM IN THE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THE NECESSARY WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO PRODUCE A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED IN THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE HILL COUNTRY SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR DEL RIO. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT NEAR 30 MILES AN HOUR. AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...A VERY REAL THREAT OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND AND PERHAPS EVEN TORNADOES EXISTS. RESIDENTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ARE ASKED TO KEEP TUNED TO A SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION...AND BE READY TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF SEVERE WEATHER IS REPORTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THE TORNADO WATCH WILL BE EXTENDED EASTWARD THIS EVENING ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...INCLUDING THE SAN ANTONIO AREA. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AND VERY DEADLY AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOW WATER CROSSINGS AS WELL AS POORLY DRAINED STREETS AND HIGHWAYS MAY FLOOD. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION IN AND NEAR HEAVY RAINFALL.
Special weather statement, Mar 16, 5:07 PM CST, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX 507 PM CST MON MAR 16 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM TONIGHT FOR MUCH OF THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AND EDWARDS PLATEAU... WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED AT 500 PM THIS AFTERNOON BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN AN AREA WEST OF A LINE FROM DEL RIO TO JUNCTION. MARBLE SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED AT COMSTOCK IN VAL VERDE COUNTY JUST BEFORE 500 PM AS THE STORMS MOVED ACROSS. VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS ALSO INDICATED IN THE STORMS IN VAL VERDE COUNTY. THE ACTIVITY WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT NEAR 30 MILES AN HOUR. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE AS THESE VERY INTENSE STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP EASTWARD INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS TONIGHT. VERY FREQUENT...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN ARE ALSO EXPECTED. FLOODING AND LIGHTNING ARE THE TWO MAJOR CAUSES OF WEATHER RELATED DEATHS IN SOUTH TEXAS. < IF SEVERE WEATHER IS REPORTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...RESIDENTS IN THE THREATENED COUNTY SEEK FOR SHELTER IN A WELL BUILT HOME OR STURDY BUILDING. MOVE INTO THE CENTER PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AND STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS4. IF A TORNADO THREATENS...CROUCH LOW ON THE FLOOR...PROTECTING THE HEAD WITH HANDS AND ARMS. ABOVE ALL ELSE...DO NOT REMAIN IN A VEHICLE. THEY ARE HIGH PROFILED AND VERY SUBJECT TO BEING OVERTURNED AND CRUSHED IN HIGH WINDS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 4:41 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Val Verde | 59 min |
| Mar 16, 5:48 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Kinney | 57 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.