Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 47, NWS Fort Worth, TX

April 20, 1990Denton County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this flash flood warning at Apr 20, 1990, 6:22 PM CDT for Denton County, Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 20, 1990, 6:22 PM CDT (23:22 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 1990, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Denton 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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 1990-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1162 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1990-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 148 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
1162 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
590 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 202333 COR
FFWFTW
TXC121-210330-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTED CREAR TO READ CLEAR IN LINE 12
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
622 PM CDT FRI APR 20 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

   ...DENTON COUNTY

THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR OF DENTON COUNTY REPORTED THAT
SEVERAL CREEKS AND STREAMS IN DENTON COUNTY ARE BEGINNING TO RISE
RAPIDLY DUE TO RUNOFF FROM TODAYS RAINS. FLASH FLOODING IS OCCURING
ALONG DENTON CREEK...CLEAR CREEK AND INSIDE DENTON ITSELF...ALONG
HICKORY CREEK. FLASH FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED NEAR ELIZABETH CREEK
ROAD...AND AT THE INTERSECTION OF FARM ROAD 407 AND HIGHWAY 114 IN
DENTON COUNTY.

DENTON CREEK IS EXPECTED TO RISE TO NEAR 15 FEET BY LATE TONIGHT NEAR
JUSTIN...WHICH IS FIVE FEET ABOVE BANKFULL.  CLEAR CREEK IS EXPECTED
TO RISE TO 29 FEET BY LATE TONIGHT NEAR SANGER...WHICH IS 4 FEET
ABOVE BANKFULL.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

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, Apr 20, 12:34 PM CDT, 5 hours 48 minutes before
TXZ031-201830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
1233 PM CDT FRI APR 20 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL TEXAS TODAY...

THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE LOCATED
TO THE NORTH OF BOSQUE AND HILL COUNTIES...MOVING NORTHEAST NEAR
30 MILES AN HOUR.

AT 1230 PM CDT LIGHT RAIN AND SHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN CENTRAL HILL
COUNTY MOVING NORTHEAST.

PERSONS IN RAIN AREAS SHOULD KEEP ALERT TO POSSIBLE FLOODING OF FLOOD
PRONE...LOW LYING AREAS AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 1:45 PM CDT, 4 hours 37 minutes before
TXZ031-201945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
144 PM CDT FRI APR 20 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
TEXAS...

AT 140 PM CDT MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN AND SHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED
ACROSS BOSQUE AND HILL COUNTIES...MOVING NORTHEAST 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS THROUGH CENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD KEEP ALERT TO POSSIBLE FLOODING
OF LOW LYING...FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD HEAVY SHOWERS PASS THROUGH
YOUR AREA.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 2:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 42 minutes before
TXZ031-202045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
239 PM CDT FRI APR 20 1990

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
TEXAS...

SMALL PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN WERE LOCATED IN NORTHEASTERN MCLENNAN...
AND SOUTHEASTERN HILL COUNTIES...MOVING EAST 30 MILES AN HOUR.

OTHERWISE...MOST OF THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED
NEAR THE DALLAS...FORT WORTH AREA.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TlV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 2:52 PM CDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before
TXZ031-202100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
251 PM CDT FRI APR 20 1990

...THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR CENTRAL TEXAS INCLUDING WACO IS NO LONGER
IN EFFECT...

ONLY WIDELY SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN WAS INDICATED BY RADAR IN MCLENNAN
AND HILL COUNTIES.

FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 3:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
TXZ019>032-210200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FT WORTH TX
330 PM CDT FRI APR 20 1990

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT OVER NORTH TEXAS TO THE RIGHT OF A CENTER...TEMPLE...BROWNWOOD
...MINERAL WELLS TO GAINESVILLE LINE.  THIS AREA INCLUDES THE CITIES
OF TYLER...LONGVIEW...PARIS...SHERMAN...WACO AND THE DALLAS...FORT
WORTH METROPLEX. THE MAIN THREAT FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS APPEARS TO
BE FROM HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINS.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOPED EARLY THIS MORNING OVER THE
CENTRAL PART OF NORTH TEXAS HAVE PRODUCED AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM
NEAR PARIS...SOUTHWEST TO NEAR STEPHENVILLE. THIS BOUNDARY SEPARATES
THE RAIN COOLED THUNDERSTORM AIR TO THE NORTH...FROM THE WARM MOIST
UNSTABLE AIR TO THE SOUTH. AFTERNOON HEATING HAS DESTABILIZED THE
ATMOSPHERE TO THE SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY WITH WARM MOIST AIR
CONTINUING TO STREAM NORTHWARD TOWARD THIS INTERFACE. WITH SEVERAL
MORE HOURS OF AFTERNOON HEATING...THIS AREA CAN BE EXPECTED TO
DESTABILIZE EVEN FURTHER. LIFTED INDICES IN THIS AREA ARE IN THE
MINUS 6 TO MINUS 7 RANGE AT MID AFTERNOON WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE
MID 60S.

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THIS UNSTABLE
AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHICH WILL TEND TO FURTHER
DESTABILIZE THE AIRMASS AND ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. MID
LEVEL WINDS ARE SOMEWHAT WEAKER TODAY THAN THE PAST FEW DAYS...HENCE
CONDITIONS ARE NOT CONDUCIVE TO PRODUCING TORNADOES.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND SPOTTERS IN THE RISK AREA SHOULD
STAY INFORMED OF THE WEATHER SITUATION THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AND
BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 4:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHardeman45 min
Apr 20, 8:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEastland42 min
Apr 20, 8:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEastland48 min
Apr 20, 9:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDErath64 min

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.