Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

September 17, 1988Bexar County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 17, 1988, 5:51 AM CDT for Bexar County, Texas. It was in force for 69 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
Sep 17, 1988, 5:51 AM CDT (10:51 UTC)
Expired
Sep 17, 1988, 7:00 AM CDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Bexar 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 17, 6:49 AM CDTTornado F2Bexar, 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

Victoria Regiona, TX (KVCT), launched 00:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 00:00Z on 1988-09-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 831 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 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 00:00Z on 1988-09-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 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
831 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
717 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 171053
TORSAT
TXC029-171200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
551 AM CDT SAT SEP 17 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...BEXAR
 
A COUPLE OF TORNADOES WERE REPORTED TO THE BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF
DEPARTMENT AT 545 AM THIS MORNING. ONE PERSON IS KNOWN INJURED AND A
TRAILER WAS OVERTURNED. THE STORM ASSSOCIATED WITH THE TORNADOES IS
MOVING TO THE NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH...TRAVERSING SOUTHERN BEXAR COUNTY.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER OR A
CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUILDING.
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.
 
YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR
SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
 
PLEASE LISTEN TO Y_OUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 17, 6:03 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXKarnes, Wilson57 min
Sep 17, 7:34 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXBandera, Bexar, Medina41 min
Sep 17, 7:34 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXKarnes, Wilson41 min
Sep 17, 8:08 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXAtascosa, Medina67 min
Sep 17, 8:44 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXComal46 min
Sep 17, 8:57 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXBexar48 min
Sep 17, 9:42 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXBexar63 min
Sep 17, 10:16 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXKendall, Kerr59 min
Sep 17, 10:23 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXUvalde67 min
Sep 17, 11:01 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXEdwards59 min
Sep 17, 11:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBandera, Medina, Uvalde3 hr
Sep 17, 11:15 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde60 min
Sep 17, 12:20 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXKinney55 min
Sep 17, 12:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde80 min
Sep 17, 1:44 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXKendall46 min
Sep 17, 2:20 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde55 min
Sep 17, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde60 min
Sep 17, 4:10 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde50 min
Sep 17, 5:14 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBexar31 min
Sep 17, 5:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde60 min
Sep 17, 6:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXVal Verde60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.