Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 76, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 5, 1989Gonzales County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 8:35 AM CDT for Gonzales County, Texas. It was in force for 70 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 5, 1989, 8:35 AM CDT (13:35 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 9:45 AM CDT
In force
70 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Gonzales 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, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 1989-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1705 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 1989-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 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
1705 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
765 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
191 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
5.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 051338
SVRSAT
TXC177-051430-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
835 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...GONZALES
 
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...HAIL
3/4 INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN.
 
WHEN A THUNDERSTORM THREATENS...SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A HOME OR
BUILDING AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.  REFRAIN FROM USING ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES.
 
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.
 
REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.

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 5, 2:48 AM CDT, 5 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
250 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT FRIDAY MORNING FOR MUCH OF
   OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 245 AM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING EASTWARD FROM JOHNSON CITY TO HOUSTON.  THIS
AREA WAS MOVING RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

AT PRESENT...THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS THE OCCURRENCE
OF STRONG...POSSIBLY DAMAGING...WIND AHEAD OF AND DURING THEIR PASSAGE.
EARLIER...COLLEGE STATION HAD REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 50 MILES AN HOUR
AS THE STORMS MOVED THROUGH.  HOUSTON HAD REPORTED A 45 MILE AN HOUR
GUST WITHIN THE PAST FEW MINUTES WITH THE STORMS APPROACHING THE CITY.

ALONG WITH THE HIGH PROBABILITY OF STRONG STRAIGHT-LINE WIND...THESE
TYPE OF STORMS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO PRODUCE ISOLATED TORNADOES AND LARGE
HAIL.  A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS.  THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF AUSTIN AND SAN
ANTONIO.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS STORM SYSTEM AND RESIDENTS ALL ACROSS
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS NEED TO MAINTAIN A CLOSE WATCH ON THE WEATHER FOR
THE NEXT 'FEW HOURS.  ADDITIONAL BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY
TO KEEP YOU UPDATED.  THESE BULLETINS WILL BE BROADCAST OVER NOAA
WEATHER RADIO...YOUR BEST SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 5, 3:37 AM CDT, 4 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
335 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT FRIDAY MORNING FOR MUCH OF
   OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 330 AM CDT...A LARGE AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE
RAPIDLY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE JUST EAST
OF NEW BRAUNFELS AND SOUTHEAST OF AUSTIN.  MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 45
MILES AN HOUR.

THE STORMS HAVE EXHIBITED A CONSTANT CYCLE OF RAPID WEAKENING FOLLOWED
BY REGENERATION THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.  THESE
STORMS HAVE BEEN PROLIFIC STRONG WIND PRODUCERS DURING THEIR TREK ACROSS
THE STATE...WITH GUSTS OFTEN REACHING 50 MILES AN HOUR.  EARLIER...
COLLEGE STATION EXPERIENCED A GUST OF 50 MILES AN HOUR AS THE STORMS
ROLLED THROUGH.  IN ADDITION...40 TO 45 MILE AN HOUR GUSTS WERE REPORTED
AT BOTH AUSTIN AND HOUSTON...WITH A RECENT ESTIMATED REPORT OF 45 MILES
AN HOUR IN THE NEW BRAUNFELS AREA.

TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL ALSO MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS THIS MORNING.
ACCORDINGLY...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS.  THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF AUSTIN
AND SAN ANTONIO.

STAY TU>NED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO THROUGHOUT THE MORNING FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION REGARDING THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, May 5, 7:10 AM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
710 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS HAS EXPIRED...

AT 705 AM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...
PERSISTED OVER AN AREA FROM LAMPASAS TO GONZALES TO HALLETSVILLE TO
AUSTIN AND BACK TO LAMPASAS.  STORM MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THESE STORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE THROUGH CYCLES OF RAPID WEAKENING WITH
DECREASING COVERAGE...FOLLOWED BY STRENGTHENING AND INCREASING COVERAGE.
AT 705 AM THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THE STORMS APPEARED TO BE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE LIGHTNING.  HOWEVER...ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS COULD STILL
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND..AND PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THE MORE
INTENSE STORMS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet, Lampasas, San Saba57 min
May 5, 12:23 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXSan Saba52 min
May 5, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson64 min
May 5, 2:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet44 min
May 5, 2:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBlanco61 min
May 5, 2:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis50 min
May 5, 4:11 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXHays34 min
May 5, 4:13 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXGuadalupe32 min
May 5, 4:25 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell35 min
May 5, 4:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales53 min
May 5, 5:03 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell27 min
May 5, 5:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays67 min
May 5, 6:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXCaldwell, Travis63 min
May 5, 6:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBlanco, Burnet63 min
May 5, 7:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXFayette45 min
May 5, 7:42 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell, Hays63 min
May 5, 8:38 AM CDTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell, Fayette32 min
May 5, 8:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales61 min
May 5, 8:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLavaca58 min
May 5, 9:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt62 min
May 5, 10:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt, Lavaca66 min
May 5, 10:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVictoria67 min
May 5, 10:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales51 min
May 5, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt65 min
May 5, 12:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKarnes66 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.