Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 21, 1990Uvalde County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 1990, 6:07 PM CDT for Uvalde County, Texas. It was in force for 68 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 1990, 6:07 PM CDT (23:07 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1990, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Uvalde County, TX

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 21, 6:50 PM CDTHail 1.75Uvalde, TX

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 12:00Z on 1990-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 631 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, Del Rio, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
631 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-410 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1611 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 212306
SVRSAT
TXC463-220015-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
607 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...UVALDE
 
THE UVALDE COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTS HAIL ABOUT 15 MILES
NORTHWEST OF UVALDE IN A THUNDERSTORM THAT IS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT
15 MPH. HAIL SIZE WAS NOT INDICATED...BUT THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL
OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL...ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS. HEAVY RAIN
AND VERY FREQUENT AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE IN THE STORM.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...HAIL
3/4 INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN.
 
YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR
SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

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 21, 4:26 PM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
TXZ035-054-212230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO, TX
425 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED AT 420 PM 15 MILES
NORTHWEST OF LEAKEY.  THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE WEST AT 12 MPH.  AS
IT MOVED ACROSS THE PRADE RANCH IN NORTHERN REAL COUNTY...THE STORM
PRODUCED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND PEA TO MARBLE-SIZED HAIL.  RAINFALL
RATES IN THIS STORM ARE ESTIMATED AT OVER 2 INCHES PER HOUR.  THE STORM
APPEARS LIKELY TO ENTER EDWARDS COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.  THIS
STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LARGER HAIL...ALONG WITH VERY STRONG
WINDS AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:28 PM CDT, 39 minutes before
TXZ035-054-212330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO, TX
528 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

AT 500 PM THIS AFTERNOON...A WEAK COLD FRONT STRETCHED AT 400 PM ALONG
A COLLEGE STATION TO AUSTIN TO DEL RIO LINE...AND WAS MOVING TO THE
SOUTH AT 10 MPH.  WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED
ALONG THE FRONT BETWEEN AUSTIN AND DEL RIO.  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL...AS
INDICATED BY WEATHER SERVICE RADAR...WAS OCCURRING OVER REAL COUNTY.
RAINFALL ESTIMATES BY RADAR AND SATELLITE RANGED FROM NEAR 1 INCH IN THE
NORTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTY TO JUST OVER ONE HALF INCH OVER SOUTHERN
REAL COUNTY IN THE PAST HOUR.  THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD SHOWN VERY LITTLE
MOVEMENT IN THE PAST HOUR.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS IS VERY UNSTABLE TONIGHT...MUCH
LIKE THE SITUATION THAT OCCURRED LAST NIGHT.  PLENTY OF SUNSHINE RAISED
TEMPERATURES INTO THE 90S JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND THIS VERY WARM...
MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR@ WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:30 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
TXZ035-054-212330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO, TX
530 PM CDT MON MAY 21 1990

AT 500 PM THIS AFTERNOON...A WEAK COLD FRONT STRETCHED ALONG A COLLEGE
STATION TO AUSTIN TO DEL RIO LINE...AND WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT
10 MPH.  WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED ALONG
THE FRONT BETWEEN AUSTIN AND DEL RIO.  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL...AS
INDICATED BY WEATHER SERVICE RADAR...WAS OCCURRING OVER REAL COUNTY.
RAINFALL ESTIMATES BY RADAR AND SATELLITE RANGED FROM NEAR 1 INCH IN THE
NORTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTY TO JUST OVER ONE HALF INCH OVER SOUTHERN
REAL COUNTY IN THE PAST HOUR.  THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD SHOWN VERY LITTLE
MOVEMENT IN THE PAST HOUR.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS IS VERY UNSTABLE TONIGHT...MUCH
LIKE THE SITUATION THAT OCCURRED LAST NIGHT.  PLENTY OF SUNSHINE RAISED
TEMPERATURES INTO THE 90S JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND THIS VERY WARM...
MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WILL CONTLINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 8:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMcMullen58 min
May 20, 8:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXAtascosa55 min
May 20, 9:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXAtascosa54 min
May 20, 10:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar50 min
May 20, 10:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilson76 min
May 20, 10:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales61 min
May 21, 2:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKerr69 min
May 21, 2:37 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXKerr68 min
May 21, 5:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis67 min
May 21, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson45 min
May 21, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis30 min
May 21, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde61 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.