Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Brownsville, TX

April 26, 1990Cameron County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 26, 1990, 2:01 PM CDT for Cameron County, Texas. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 26, 1990, 2:01 PM CDT (19:01 UTC)
Expired
Apr 26, 1990, 3:00 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Cameron 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

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 29 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-04-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1631 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-04-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 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
1631 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
650 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
190 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBRO 261903
SVRBRO
TXC061-262000-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
201 PM CDT THU APR 26 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
 
   ...CAMERON COUNTY
 
AT 200 PM CDT...BROWSNVILLE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM ABOUT
15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SAN BENITO. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL PRODUCE
VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND HAIL AS IT MOVES EAST AT 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, Apr 26, 8:50 AM CDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
TXZ041-042-261500-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
850 AM CDT THU APR 26 1990

AT 850 AM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTH JIM HOGG COUNTY
NEAR HEBBRONVILLE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST ABOUT 20 MPH. IT COULD
CAUSE STRONG WIND IN HIM HOGG AND BROOKS COUNTIES WITHIN THE HOUR.
IF WIND STARTS TO INCREASE...IT MAY BE WISE TO QUICKLY SEEK SHELTER.

THE STORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
FROM NEAR FALCON LAKE NORTHEAST TO NEAR SAN ANTONIO.
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 9:53 AM CDT, 4 hours 8 minutes before
TXZ041-042-043-261600-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
950 AM CDT THU APR 26 1990

AT 950 AM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL JIM HOGG
COUNTY CAPABLE OF CAUSING STRONG WIND. IF THE WIND START TO PICK UP...
IT MIGHT WISE TO QUICKLY SEEK SHELTER.

THE STORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT
EXTENDED FROM JUST WEST OF RIO GRANDE CITY TO THE NORTHEAST THROUGH
JIM HOGG COUNTY INTO THE HILL COUNTRY. GUSTY WIND AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN
ACCOMPANIED ONE OF THE STORMS THROUGH HEBBRONVILLE IN NORTH JIM
HOGG COUNTY A SHORT TIME AGO BUT NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.

HOWEVER...IF DAMAGE DOES OCCUR...ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT gAGENCY
TO CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE.
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 10:56 AM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
TXZ041>044-261700-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1055 AM CDT THU APR 26 1990

AT 1050 AM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM OVER BROOKS COUNTY CAPABLE
OF CAUSING STRONG WIND. THE STORM BEARS WATCH. IF THE WIND STARTS TO
PICK UP...QUICKLY SEEK SHELTER. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST
ABOUT 25 MPH.

THE STORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
ACROSS MUCH OF THE VALLEY FROM NEAR RIO GRANDE CITY IN STARR COUNTY
NORTHEAST THRU BROOKS COUNTY ON INTO SOUTH TEXAS EAST OF SAN ANTONIO.

ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED OVER HIDALGO AND KENEDY COUNTIES
AND IS CAPABLE OF QUICKLY MATURING. MARINE INTERESTS OFFSHORE KENEDY
COUNTY SHOULD KEEP A SHARP WEATHER EYE TO THE WEST IN CASE THE SHOWERS
DEVELOP INTO THUNDERSTORMS. IF THAT HAPPEN...WINDS MIGHT INCREASE
QUICKLY AND WATERS BECOME ROUGH.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 1:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Willacy59 min
Apr 26, 3:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.