Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

September 12, 1990Webb County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Sep 12, 1990, 8:11 PM CDT for Webb County, Texas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 12, 1990, 8:11 PM CDT (01:11 UTC)
Expired
Sep 12, 1990, 11:15 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Webb 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 196 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-09-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 512 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-09-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 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
512 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
855 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 130113
FFWSAT
TXC479-130415-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
811 PM CDT WED SEP 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...WEBB
 
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE CAUSED FLOODING IN
THE CITY OF LAREDO. HONDO RADAR INDICATED THAT THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING
HEAVY RAINFALL FORMED IN THE LAREDO AREA DURING THE PAST TWO HOURS.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES HAVE BEEN REPORTED.
 
AT 8 PM 9HONDO RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE WEAKENING.
THE THUNDERSTORMS AND RAIN ARE EXPECTED TO END A LITTLE LATER THIS
EVENING.  HOWEVER RUNOFF FROM THE RAIN WILL CAUSE STREETS AND LOW
LYING AREAS TO CONTINUE TO FLOOD.
 
 
 
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED.
 
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 REGARDING 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, Sep 12, 2:13 PM CDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
TXZ038>041-122010-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
210 PM CDT WED SEP 12 1990

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON THE INCREASE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 205 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS
AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ONCE AGAIN OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINS WERE LOCATED NORTH OF
EAGLE PASS NEAR THE TOWN OF QUEMADO...AND EXTENDING SOUTHEAST THROUGH
CARRIZO SPRINGS.  OTHERS WERE IN WILSON COUNTY AND SOUTH OF CANYON LAKE.
THE SHOWERS HAD SHOWN LITTLE MOVEMENT...ALTHOUGH A SLIGHT WESTERLY DRIFT
WAS NOTED.

MOIST TROPICAL AIR AND A HIGHLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL CONTINUE TO
PRODUCE THE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.  PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINS...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THE MORE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT AND TROPICAL NATURE OF THE STORMS...LOCAL FLOODING
OF LOW LYING AREAS AND LOW-WATER CROSSINGS IS POSSIBLE.

PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD REMAINED TUNED TO WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS
THIS AFTERNOON BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO.
Special weather statement, Sep 12, 6:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
TXZ038>041-130300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
610 PM CDT WED SEP 12 1990

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS STILL ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 605 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS
AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS. THE THUNDEERSTORMS WITH THE
HEAVIEST RAINS WERE LOCATED WEST OF KARNES CITY AND NEAR CRYSTAL CITY.
THE SHOWERS HAD SHOWN VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT...ALTHOUGH A SLIGHT MOVEMENT
TO THE WEST WAS NOTED.

MOIST TROPICAL AIR AND A HIGHLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL CONTINUE TO
PRODUCE THE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THIS EVENING. PERIODS
OF HEAVY RAINS...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
LIKELY WITH THE MORE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS THIS THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, Sep 12, 7:26 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
TXZ054-130230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
730 PM CDT WED SEP 12 1990

AT 725 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE OBSERVED AT THE DEL RIO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. RADAR ALSO INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN FROM 20
MILES SOUTHEAST TO 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF DEL RIO. LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS
NOTED.

SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. BOATERS AND FISHERMEN ON LAKE
AMISTAD SHOULD KEEP A LOOKOUT AND BE READY TO SEEK SAFE HARBOR.

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.