Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1988, 6:06 PM CDT for Gillespie County, Texas. It was in force for 69 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 20, 1988, 6:06 PM CDT (23:06 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 1988, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 69 min
- Issued by
- NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Gillespie 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 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 211 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
- 2095 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -15 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 663 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 126 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 99 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 3.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAUS 202309
SVRAUS
TXC171-210015-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
606 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
...GILLESPIE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVEOPLED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF
GILLISPIE COUNTY MOVING TOWARDS THE EAST NORTHEAST AT NEAR 25 MPH.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.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 20, 1:49 PM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 145 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988 TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT... AND BETWEEN THEM THEY COVER ALL COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS. THE WATCHES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS FRIDAY EVENING. WEATHER RADAR AT AUSTIN INDICATED WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HILL COUNTRY. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE FROM WEST OF MARBLE FALLS TO STONEWALL... A LITTLE fEAST OF FREDERICKSBURG... TO SOUTHEAST OF KERRVILLE. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORM ALONG THAT LINE WAS NEAR STONEWALL AND THE LBJ RANCH. THAT THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AND TOWARD JOHNSON CITY AT NEAR 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 20, 2:44 PM CDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 245 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988 TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT... AND BETWEEN THEM THEY COVER ALL COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS. THE WATCHES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS FRIDAY EVENING. WEATHER RADAR AT AUSTIN INDICATED WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HILL COUNTRY. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE WEST OF AUSTIN EXTEND FROM SOUTH OF MARBLE FALLS TO SOUTH OF KERRVILLE. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE TO NEAR BLANCO A LITTLE AFTER 2 O CLOCK.
Special weather statement, May 20, 3:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 345 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988 TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT... AND BETWEEN THEM THEY COVER ALL COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS. THE WATCHES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS FRIDAY EVENING. WEATHER RADAR AT AUSTIN INDICATED WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HILL COUNTRY. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM WEST OF GEORGETOWN... NEAR LIBERTY HILL TO A LITTLE EAST TO JOHNSON CITY TO NEAR BLANCO AND COMFORT. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORM IS JUST EAST OF JOHNSON CITY NEAR PEDERNALES FALLS STATE PARK. THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
Local storm report, May 20, 4:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
405 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988
TIME CDT EVENT
920 AM PUBLIC REPORTS MARBLE SIZE HAIL...HEAVY RAIN 10 MILES
WEST OF HUNT IN KERR COUNTY
940 AM DPS REPORTS MARBLE SIZE HAIL...HEAVY RAIN 10 WEST OF HUNT
IN KERR COUNTY
1035 AM DPS REPORTS GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL NEAR HUNT IN KERR COUNTY
1042 AM KERR COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTS HEAVY RAIN AND
HIAL NEAR INGRAM...HAIL SIZE NOT INDICATED
1110 AM KERRVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENTS REPORTS GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
IN KERRVILLE ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN
145 PM COOPERATIVE OBSERVER IN NORTHERN REAL COUNTY REPORTED ONE
INCH HAIL AND ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN.
152 PM OBSERVER REPORTED IN NORTHEAST REAL COUNTY REPORTED PEA
SIZE HAIL AND THREE QUARTERS INCHES OF RAIN.
232 PM PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE TO PING PONG SIZE HAIL NEAR MEDINA
IN BANDERA C OUNTY.
245 PM PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND 1.5 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN
NEAR MEDINA IN BANDERA COUNTY.Special weather statement, May 20, 4:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX 440 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AND ADJACENT AREAS OF THE EDWARDS PLATEAU AND SOUTHCENTRAL TEXAS. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN AREA. AT 425 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...WERE SCATTERED BETWEEN ROCKSPRINGS...KERRVILLE...AND FREDERICKSBURG. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST 20 MILES AN HOUR. OTHERWISE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...WERE SCATTERED ALONG A 75 MILE WIDE AREA...EXTENDING FROM 25 MILES SOUTH OF DEL RIO...NORTHEAST...TO 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN. REMEMBER....A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FEOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 20, 4:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX 445 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 1988 TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT... AND BETWEEN THEM THEY COVER ALL COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS. THE WATCHES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS FRIDAY EVENING. WEATHER RADAR AT AUSTIN INDICATED WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WEST THROUGH NORTH OF AUSTIN. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH HAIL WAS NOTED NEAR KERRVILLE. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INMDICATED NEAR STONEWALL AND FREDICKSBURG MOVING TOWARDS THE EAST NORTH EAST...THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR AND PERSONS IN EASTERN GILLISPIE AND WESTERN BLANCO COUNTIES SHOULD STAY ALERT TO THESE STORMS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 1:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Real | 58 min |
| May 20, 2:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Bandera | 41 min |
| May 20, 3:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Val Verde | 60 min |
| May 20, 4:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Kerr | 68 min |
| May 20, 5:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Real | 40 min |
| May 20, 5:18 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Gillespie | 57 min |
| May 20, 6:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Blanco, Burnet, Llano | 61 min |
| May 20, 6:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Kerr | 57 min |
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.