Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

March 26, 1988Webb County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 26, 1988, 3:47 PM CST for Webb County, Texas. It was in force for 43 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 26, 1988, 3:47 PM CST (21:47 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 1988, 4:30 PM CST
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Webb 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 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 267 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 12:00Z on 1988-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1317 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 12:00Z on 1988-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
1317 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-163 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
560 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 262147
SVRSAT
TXC479-262230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
347 PM CST SAT MAR 26 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...WEBB
 
AT 345 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF LAREDO...DRIFTING SLOWLY TO THE
WEST.  THIS THUNDERSTORM IMMEDIATELY THREATENS RESIDENTS OF THE CITY
OF LAREDO.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...HAIL
3/4 INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN.
 
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

Special weather statement, Mar 26, 2:55 PM CST, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
255 PM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPS IN WEBB COUNTY...

AT 250 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS IN HONDO AND CORPUS CHRISTI...
TEXAS SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM IN WEBB COUNTY ABOUT 25 MILES EAST OF
LAREDO NEAR MIRANDO CITY AND OILTON.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF PERIODS HEAVY RAIN
MAY ACCOMPANY THIS THUNDERSTORM IN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS.

VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS INDICATED AT THIS TIME.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STORM AND
ISSUE ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPS.
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 3:28 PM CST, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
325 PM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM CONTINUES IN WEBB COUNTY...

AN ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS PERSISTED IN SOUTHERN WEBB COUNTY
OVER THE PAST HOUR.  DURING THIS TIME...THE THUNDERSTORM HAS BEGUN A
SLOW MOVEMENT TO THE WEST...OR TOWARD THE CITY OF LAREDO.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HONDO...IN THE PAST FEW MINUTES...
HAS SHOWN INDICATIONS THAT THIS STORM MAY BE PRODUCING SMALL HAIL.
RESIDENTS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...ESPECIALLY IN THE CITY OF
LAREDO...SHOULD REMAIN AWARE OF THIS THREAT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
A PLACE OF SAFETY.  ADDITIONALLY...THE STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY
WIND...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STORM AND
ISSUE ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPS.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.