Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 22, 1990Calhoun County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1990, 12:19 PM CDT for Calhoun County, Texas. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 22, 1990, 12:19 PM CDT (17:19 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1990, 12:45 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Calhoun 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 12:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 106 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 12:00Z on 1990-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2018 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 12:00Z on 1990-05-22The 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
2018 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-146 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1210 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-8 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KVCT 221719
TORVCT
TXC057-221745-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VICTORIA TX
1219 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN VICTORIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...SOUTHERN CALHOUN COUNTY
 
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF THE SOUTH TEXAS COAST
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF LAVACA BAY
 
AT 1215 PM CDT THE COAST GUARD OFFICE IN PORT OCONNOR REPORTED A
TORNADO 2 MILES WEST OF PORT OCONNOR. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST
AT NEAR 15 MPH.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECCE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 22, 8:30 AM CDT, 3 hours 49 minutes before
TXZ034-035-038-039-041-221700-

BULLETIN
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
830 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 1990

A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN EAGLE PASS AND SAN ANTONIO IS
MOVING EASTWARD AT 25 MPH.

THIS AREA LIKELY CONTAINS FREQUENT LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL
HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.  EAGLE PASS RECEIVED NEARLY 3 INCHES OF
RAIN THIS MORNING.

AS A RESULT OF THE HEAVY RAIN...FLOODING OF CREEKS AND LOW-WATER
CROSSINGS...AS WELL AS STREETS AND DRAINAGE DITCHES IN URBAN AREAS...
IS POSSIBLE THE REMAINDER OF THIS MORNING.

MOTORISTS AND RESIDENTS IN THE HILL COUNTRY...EDWARDS PLATEAU AND
ADJACENT AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER AND ACT ACCORDINGLY.

PERSONS IN AND AROUND BEXAR COUNTY AND THE SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN
AREA SHOULD BE ON THE WATCH FOR HEAVY RAIN AND URBAN FLOODING THE
NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.

MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED LOW-WATER
CROSSINGS.  PARENTS SHOULD KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM FLOOD DRAINAGE
DITCHES AND CREEKS.  PERSONS CLOSE TO LOW-LYING FLOOD-PRONE AREAS
SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF HEAVY RAIN OR FLOODING IS OBSERVED
OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT...SO
PLEASE STAY TUNED.
Special weather statement, May 22, 11:41 AM CDT, 38 minutes before
TXZ036-221800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
1130 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF AUSTIN PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL...

AT 1120 AM A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS
BETWEEN VICTORIA...SAN ANTONIO TO JUST SOUTH OF AUSTIN. MOVEMENT
WAS TOWARDS THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAINFALL
AND GUSTY WINDS WERE LOCATED OVER THE SOUTH HALF OF CALDWELL COUNTY
AND THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF FAYETTE COUNTY.

THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WAS SOUTH OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND WILL
MOVE OVER CALDWELL...FAYETTE AND BASTROP COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 11:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde60 min
May 22, 2:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde55 min
May 22, 3:34 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXVal Verde60 min
May 22, 3:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.