Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 192, NWS Fort Worth, TX

October 21, 1990McLennan County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this flash flood warning at Oct 21, 1990, 9:04 AM CDT for McLennan County, Texas. It was in force for 116 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 21, 1990, 9:04 AM CDT (14:04 UTC)
Expired
Oct 21, 1990, 11:00 AM CDT
In force
116 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County McLennan 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

Stephenville/Cla, TX (KSEP), launched 12:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 113 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-10-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-10-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 76 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
620 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
113 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 KACT 211405
FFWACT
TXC309-309-211600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
904 AM CDT SUN OCT 21 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WACO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...CITY OF WACO COUNTY...MCLENNAN COUNTY
 
AT 900 AM CDT A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WAS OCCURRING
OVER MCLENNAN COUNTY AND THE WACO AREA. THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
COORDINATOR REPORTED FLASH FLOODING AT 18TH STREET AND INTERSTATE 35
IN WACO. THE INTERSTATE IS BEING CLOSED UNTIL THE WATER HAS A CHANCE
TO RUN OFF.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

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, Oct 21, 3:17 AM CDT, 5 hours 47 minutes before
TXZ031-037-032-210930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
310 AM CDT SUN OCT 21 1990

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS
CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 3:05 AM...RADAR SHOWED THE LEADING EDGE OF A BAND OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY RAIN...FROM NORTH OF
TYLER...TO GROESBECK...TO ROSEBUD...AND WESTWARD TO FREDERICKSBURG
IN THE HILL COUNTRY. THE BAND WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

SOME OF THE HEAVIER RAINFALL WAS OVER SOUTHEAST MCLENNAN...SOUTHEAST
HILL...AND NORTHERN FALLS COUNTIES.  THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO BE
ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LIGHT SHOWERS WERE ALSO INDICATED OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS.
<
<FURTHER NORTH...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS OCCURRING
ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM BROWNWOOD...TO MINERAL WELLS...TO
JACKSBORO. THIS ACTIVITY WAS ALSO MOVING SOUTHEAST AND WILL LIKELY
BE AFFECTING THE MCLENNAN AND SURROUNDING COUNTY AREA IN THE NEXT
COUPLE OF HOURS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Oct 21, 4:44 AM CDT, 4 hours 20 minutes before
TXZ031-037-032-211100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
435 AM CDT SUN OCT 21 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF BRAZOS...MADISON...AND ROBERTSON...

AT 4:25 AM RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME
WITH HEAVY RAIN...FROM THE HILL COUNTRY WEST OF AUSTIN TO BRADY...
EASTWARD ACROSS CORYELL...BELL...FALLS...AND LIMESTONE COUNTIES
TO BEYOND TYLER. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AND NORTHEAST
AT 35 MPH...WHILE THE OVERALL AREA MOVED SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WERE OVER WESTERN CORYELL AND BELL
COUNTIES IN THE VICINITY OF COPPERAS COVE AND KILLEEN. THE FORT HOOD
WEATHER STATION IS REPORTING GUSTY WINDS TO 35 MPH. OTHER STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN FALLS AND LIMESTONE
COUNTIES.
<
<ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED ALONG AND
WEST OF A LINE FROM HICO TO BOWIE. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE ACCOMPANIED
BY HEAVY RAINFALL AND WILL BE MOVING INTO PORTIONS OF BOSQUE COUNTY
SHORTLY.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL
SHOULD BE EXPECTED WITHIN THE LARGER AND STRONGER STORMS DURING THE[
NEXT FEW HOURS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Oct 21, 6:13 AM CDT, 2 hours 51 minutes before
TXZ031-037-032-211230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
610 AM CDT SUN OCT 21 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF BRAZOS...MADISON...AND ROBERTSON...

AT 6:00 AM RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG WITH LIGHT RAIN FROM MASON IN THE HILL COUNTRY TO BRECKENRIDGE...
AND EASTWARD ACROSS THE WACO AREA TO A TYLER/COLLEGE STATION/LA GRANGE
LINE. THE PRECIPITATION AREA HAS INCREASED IN COVERAGE DURING THE
PAST HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEASTWARD AT 35 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS...AND THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS LOCATED
IN THE IMMEDIATE WACO AREA. THESE STORMS MOVED ACROSS FORT HOOD
EARLIER DUMPING VERY HEAVY RAIN. GUSTY SURFACE WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL SHOULD BE EXPECTED IN MCLENNAN
AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO AS THESE STORMS
MOVE THROUGH. IN ADDITION...SOME LOCAL STREET FLOODING MAY ALSO OCCUR
<ALONG WITH PONDING IN LOW LYING AREAS.

PERSONS IN CENTRAL TEXAS AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER
WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Oct 21, 7:31 AM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
TXZ031-037-032-211430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
725 AM CDT SUN OCT 21 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF BRAZOS...MADISON...AND ROBERTSON...

AT 7:20 AM RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH
WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND NORTHERN
PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE MOVING NORTHEAST WITH THE OVERALL AREA SPREADING OUTWARD
FROM THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA. INTENSITIES HAVE DECREASED SLIGHTLY
DURING THE PAST HOUR.

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS LOCATED OVER FALLS AND LIMESTONE COUNTIES.
SEVERAL REPORTS OF RAINFALL EXCEEDING ONE INCH HAVE BEEN RECIEVED
WHILE NEARLY TWO INCHES FELL ON THE FORT HOOD RESERVATION.

SOME OF THE LARGER STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
<DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL. STREET FLOODING
AND PONDING OF LOW LYING AREAS MAY AL%SO OCCUR.

PERSONS IN CENTRAL TEXAS AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER
WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Oct 21, 8:49 AM CDT, 15 minutes before
TXZ031-037-032-211445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
845 AM CDT SUN OCT 21 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF BRAZOS...MADISON...AND ROBERTSON...

AT 840 AM AN AREA OF LIGHT RAIN WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS EXTENDED OVER
CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND EAST TEXAS EAST OF A LINE FROM JACKSBORO
TO BRADY TO SOUTH OF JOHNSON CITY.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS FALLING FROM
NEAR LAMPASAS TO NEAR BURLESON AND FROM NEAR TEMPLE TO NEAR CORSICANA.

OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND EAST TEXAS MODERATE SHOWERS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
CALDWELL TO BRAZOS...ROBERTSON AND LEON COUNTIES.

MOVMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS DRIVING IN CENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION DUE TO WET
ROADS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES.  ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR
DESTINATION.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 21, 7:47 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDAnderson4 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.