Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 12:55 AM CDT for Grimes County, Texas. It was in force for 65 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 5, 1989, 12:55 AM CDT (05:55 UTC)
- Expired
- May 5, 1989, 2:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Grimes 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 00:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 208 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
- 1991 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -125 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 845 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 132 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 240 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.6
- Supercell composite
- 4.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KHOU 050557
SVRHOU
TXC455-185-471-050700-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
1255 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST TEXAS
...TRINITY
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
...GRIMES...WALKER
RADAR INDICATED A LINE ACROSS HOUSTON COUNTY AND NORTH GRIMES COUNTY
TO NORTH OF COLLEGE STATION. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO
THE SOUTHEAST NEAR 60 MILES AN HOUR.
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...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVA[NCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE
ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.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 4, 11:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GALVESTON TX 1138 PM CDT THU MAY 4 1989 ... A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS INCLUDING GALVESTON AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES AND THEIR COASTAL WATERS UNTIL 500 AM FRIDAY MORNING... INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS... SOME SEVERE... WERE IN PROGRESS IN THE WACO AREA... MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 60 MILES AN HOUR. THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES IN THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS AREA... ALONG WITH DAMAGING HIGH WINDS. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR CONTINUED SEVERE WEATHER IN THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS AREA. AT THE PRESENT RATE OF MOVEMENT THIS STORM SYSTEM COULD BE AFFECTING THE GALVESTON BAY AREA AROUND 300 OR 400 AM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 4, 11:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1140 AM CDT THU MAY 5 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IF EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS... THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 500 AM CDT THIS FRIDAY MORNING. THE WATCH INCLUDES WASHINGTON...BRAZORIA...FORT BEND...MONTGOMERY...AUSTIN LIBERTY...HARRIS...HOUSTON...TRINITY...GRIMES...POLK...SAN-JACINTO... WALKER...AND WALLER COUNTIES. WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND SATELLITE INDICATE A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE WACO AREA MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTHEAST. THESE STORMS COULD EFFECT HOUSTON WALKER AND GRIMES COUNTIES BETWEEN 1230 AM CDT AND 200 AM CDT FRIDAY MORNING. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATING WEATHER AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 12:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 44 min |
| May 5, 12:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Trinity, Walker | 65 min |
| May 5, 1:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | San Jacinto | 59 min |
| May 5, 1:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 68 min |
| May 5, 1:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 68 min |
| May 5, 2:07 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris, Liberty | 68 min |
| May 5, 3:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 2 hr |
| May 5, 8:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Wharton | 57 min |
| May 5, 8:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado | 40 min |
| May 5, 9:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Wharton | 36 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.