Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

April 13, 1987Polk County, San Jacinto County, Trinity County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 13, 1987, 12:50 PM CDT for Polk County, San Jacinto County, Trinity County, Texas. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 13, 1987, 12:50 PM CDT (17:50 UTC)
Expired
Apr 13, 1987, 1:45 PM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Trinity 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

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 175 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1987-04-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1954 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1987-04-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 154 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
1954 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-139 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
590 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KHOU 131750
SVRHOU
TXC455-373-407-131845-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
1250 PM CDT MON APR 13 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  145 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTHEAST TEXAS
          ...TRINITY
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
          ...NORTHERN POLK...NORTHERN SAN JACINTO
 
WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF POSSIBLY SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE NORTHERN PART OF LAKE LIVINGSTON...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
 
REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE
ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLYa INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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, Apr 13, 8:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
810 AM CDT MON APR 13 1987

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM NEAR COLLEGE STATION TO NEAR
TEXARKANA AND INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...HOUSTON...TRINITY...GRIMES...WALKER...SAN JACINTO...POLK
AND MONTGOMERY.  THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 800 AM UNTIL 200 PM CDT.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO AND WACO AND WILL BE
MOVING INTO THE WATCH AREA IN THE NEXT TWO OR THREE HOURS.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS AS NEEDED.
Special weather statement, Apr 13, 9:31 AM CDT, 3 hours 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
930 AM CDT MON APR 13 1987

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NEAR COLLEGE STATION TO NEAR
TEXARKANA AND INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...HOUSTON...TRINITY...GRIMES...WALKER...SAN JACINTO...POLK AND
MONTGOMERY.  THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM EAST OF WACO TO NEAR COLLEGE
STATION TO JUST EAST OF AUSTIN.  THE LINE IS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 40
MPH.

BOATERS ON LAKE SOMERVILLE SHOULD MOVE TO SHORE UNTIL THESE STORMS
PASS.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS AS NEEDED.
Special weather statement, Apr 13, 12:05 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
SPEACIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
1206 PM CDT MON APR 13 1987

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NEAR COLLEGE STATION TO NEAR
TEXARKANA AND INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...HOUSTON...TRINITY...GRIMES...WALKER...SAN JACINTO...POLK AND
MONTGOMERY.  THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

AT 12 NOON....RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
SOUTHEAST TEXAS...EXTENDING FROM NEAR LUFKIN ACROSS THE NORTHERN
PORTION OF LAKE LIVINGSTON...TO HEMPSTEAD...TO JUST WEST OF
EAGLE LAKE....MOVING EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

ONE OF THE STORNGEST STORMS IN THE LINE WAS BETWEEN MONTGOMERY
AND HUNSTVILLE...MOVING EAST AT  ABOUT 40 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSORMS IN THE LINE WERE OF CONSIDERABLY LESS INTENSITY
AND APPARANTLY WELL BELOW SEVERE LEVEL CATAGORIES AT THE MOMENT.
HOWEVER...INTENSITIES COULD INCREASE QUICKLY AT ANY TIME AS THE
LINE MOVES DEEPER INTO SOUTHEAST TEXA6S.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LINE WILL BE MOVING TO NEAR
THE HOUSTON AREA BETWEEN 1 AND 2 PM.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL RADIO AND TV...FOR THE
LATEST STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
Special weather statement, Apr 13, 12:27 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
SPEACIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
1228 PM CDT MON APR 13 1987

..A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NEAR COLLEGE STATION TO NEAR
TEXARKANA AND INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...HOUSTON...TRINITY...GRIMES...WALKER...SAN JACINTO...POLK AND
MONTGOMERY.  THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 1225 PM...RADAR SHOWS A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE
NORTHERN END OF LAKE LIVINGSTON...TO JUST EAST OF HUNTSVILLE..TO NEAR
MONTGOMERY.  THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT
WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
COULD HAVE SMALL HAIL AS THEY MONVE THROUGH MONTGOMERY...WALKER...AND
SAN JACINTO COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS ON LAKE LIVINGSTON SHOULD HEAD FOR SAFE
HARBOUR IMMEDIATELY.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 13, 10:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes, Walker40 min
Apr 13, 10:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston, Trinity63 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.