Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

July 16, 1990Atascosa County, Bexar County, Medina County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Jul 16, 1990, 4:50 AM CDT for Atascosa County, Bexar County, Medina County, Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1990, 4:50 AM CDT (09:50 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1990, 9:00 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Atascosa County, TX, Bexar County, TX, Medina 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 00:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 206 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 623 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 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
623 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
990 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 160952
FFWSAT
TXC013-029-325-161400-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
450 AM CDT MON JUL 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...ATASCOSA...BEXAR...MEDINA
 
HEAVY RAIN HAS AGAIN DEVELOPED ACROSS AN AREA FROM NEAR HONDO TO JUST
NORTH OF PEARSALL. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN
THIS AREA WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAIN...OVER AN AREA THAT HAS ALREADY RECEIVED GENERAL 3 TO 4
INCH RAINS AND ISOLATED TOTALS NEAR 7 INCHES...COULD MAKE FLOODING
MUCH WORSE.
 
MANY OF THE SECONDARY ROADS IN THE THREE COUNTY AREA ARE CLOSED DUE TO
HIGH WATER.  BARRICADES HAVE BEEN PLACED ALONG SOME EXITS TO
INTERSTATE ROADS AS WELL DUE TO FLOODING.  THIS ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL
PROLONG THE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE EXISTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE
MORNING...AND WILL MAKE THE MORNING "RUSH HOUR" TRAFFIC EVEN MORE
DIFFICULT.
 
MOTORISTS SHOULD AVOID ANY UNNECESSARY TRAVEL...AND USE EXTREME
CAUTION IF THEY MUST TRAVEL.
 
 
REMEMBER...DEATHS DURING FLASH FLOODING ARE FREQUENTLY RELATED TO
MOTORISTS DRIVING INTO FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS OR FROM CHILDREN
PLAYING NEAR FLOODED STREAMS OR DRAINAGE AREAS.
 
PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS R~EGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Jul 16, 12:58 AM CDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
TXZ034-036-037-160300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
0035 AM CDT MON JUL 16 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS UNTILL 7AM
MONDAY MORNING. IT INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF TRAVIS-BLANCO-HAYS-LEE-
CALDWELL-BURLESON-FAYETTE AND BASTROP.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FOR FLASH FLOODING
IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. HEAVY RAINS MAY CAUSE RAPID RISES ON
RIVERS AND CREEKS...FLOODING MANY LOW LYING AREAS...ROADS AND HIGHWAYS.

AT 1230 AM CDT AUSTIN RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF MOSTLY LIGHT
RAIN SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FREDICKSBURG TO TEMPLE TO GROSSBECK.
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS WERE INDICATED FROM SAN ANTONIO
AND BANDERA SOUTHEASTWARD TO FLORESVILLE AND VICTORIA.
MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS TOWARDS THE NORTH WHILE THE LARGE
RAIN AREA WAS MOVING EASTWARD.
THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS HEAVY RAIN AND FLOOD SITUATION. PERSONS IN AND
CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
A PLACE OF SAFEFY IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:46 AM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
TXZ034>037-161000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
230 AM CDT MON JUL 16 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS UNTILL 7AM
MONDAY MORNING. IT INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF TRAVIS-BLANCO-HAYS-LEE-
CALDWELL-BURLESON-FAYETTE AND BASTROP.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FOR FLASH FLOODING
IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. HEAVY RAINS MAY CAUSE RAPID RISES ON
RIVERS AND CREEKS...FLOODING MANY LOW LYING AREAS...ROADS AND HIGHWAYS.

225 AM CDT AUSTIN RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS
FROM SAN ANTONIO WESTWARD TO LAKE MEDINA AND FROM NEAR FLORESVILLE TO
NEAR VICTORIA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT NEAR 5 MPH.

A LARGE AREA OF MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN CONTINOUS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR
JUNCTION TO SOUTH OF WACO TO EAST OF COLLEGE STATION MOVING SOUTHEAST
AT 15 MPH.
PERSONS IN OR CLOSE TOTHE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED
OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

NO REPORTS OF HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE AUSTIN WEATHER
SERVICE SINCE MIDNIGHT.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 3:15 AM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
TXZ034>037-160900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
3 AM CDT MON JUL 16 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ISSUED EALIER FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS WHICH
INCLUDED THE COUNTIES OF TRAVIS-BLANCO-HAYS-LEE-CALDWELL-BURLESON-
FAYETTE AND BASTROP IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

A FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH DOES CONTINUE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM DEL RIO
TO SAN ANTONIO TO VICTORIA.

3 AM CDT AUSTIN RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS
FROM EAST OF SAN ANTONIO WESTWARD TO LAKE MEDINA AND FROM NEAR FLORESVILLE
TO NEAR VICTORIA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT NEAR 5 MPH.

A LARGE AREA OF MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN CONTINOUS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR
JUNCTION TO SOUTH OF WACO TO EAST OF COLLEGE STATION MOVING SOUTHEAST
AT 15 MPH. THIS AREA EXTENDS AS FAR SOUTH CORPUS CHRISTI.
NO REPORTS OF HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE AUSTIN WEATHER
SERVICE SINCE MIDNIGHT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLa Salle45 min
Jul 15, 9:20 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa, Bexar115 min
Jul 15, 9:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWebb55 min
Jul 15, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWebb60 min
Jul 15, 11:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDimmit61 min
Jul 16, 2:03 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa, Bexar, Medina, Uvalde3 hr
Jul 16, 8:42 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXDimmit3 hr
Jul 16, 9:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa, Bexar3 hr
Jul 16, 11:30 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXZavala3 hr
Jul 16, 11:44 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXDimmit3 hr
Jul 16, 12:12 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa4 hr
Jul 16, 4:17 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa, Bexar, Wilson3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1990Every flash flood 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.