Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 270, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 20, 1990Hunt County, Rockwall County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1990, 9:54 AM CDT for Hunt County, Rockwall County, Texas. It was in force for 51 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 20, 1990, 9:54 AM CDT (14:54 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 1990, 10:45 AM CDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area: Whole counties

Counties Hunt County, TX, Rockwall 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 20, 10:04 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Rockwall, 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

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 171 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 3183 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 585 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 191 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 244 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 3.0
Supercell composite: 15.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 20, 3:57 AM CDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 5:51 AM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before

TXZ019>033-191200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
6 AM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF NORTH
TEXAS TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THE AIR MASS OVER NORTH TEXAS CONTINUES TO BE VERY UNSTABLE WITH
ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER SOUTHWEST
OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING WAS THE FOCUS FOR LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGING
ON THE LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH WHICH EXTENDED EAST ALONG THE RED
RIVER.

A DRY LINE IN WEST TEXAS WILL MOVE INTO NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY
EVENING AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE TODAY APART FROM
THE DRY LINE AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO CONVERGE ACROSS THE
AREA. THE MOST FAVORED LOCATION...HOWEVER...WILL BE ALONG AND JUST
SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER WHERE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WILL ACT AS SURFACES
TO LIFT THE MOISTURE. AS THE DAY PROGRESSES THE ACTIVITY SHOULD
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP SOUTHWARD AS THE BOUNDARIES SPREAD SOUTH.
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ASSIST IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
TODAY AS IT MAKES ITS WAY EAST ACROSS THE NORTH TEXAS AREA.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS WILL WANT TO KEEP
IN TOUCH WITH LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND BE READY FOR QUICK
MOBILIZATION THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SINCE
THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP SHOULD BECOME SEVERE VERY QUICKLY.

Special weather statement, May 20, 8:41 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

TXZ031-201545-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
841 AM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 830 AM CDT WACO WEATHER RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS LIGHT TO MODERATE
SHOWERS AND A FEW STRONG TO VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.  THE LEADING
EDGE OR THE AREA EXTENDED FROM NORTHWEST OF FORT WORTH TO NEAR LAKE
WHITNEY TO WESTERN MCLENNAN COUNTY...TO KILLEEN TO LLANO.  MOVEMENT OF
ALL THE PRECIPITATION WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE IN ERATH...HOOD AND SOMMERVILLE COUNTIES...
AND WILL BE MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN PARTS OF BOSQUE COUNTY WITHIN THE
NEXT HOUR.  THE GENERAL TREND OVER THE PAST HOUR HAS SHOWN SOME
DECREASE IN INTENSITY...HOWEVER THE STRONGER STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL...GUSTY WIND...
FLASH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND NORMALLY FLOOD PRONE AREAS.  REPORTS
FROM THE IREDELL AREA IN WESTERN BOSQUE COUNTY AT 835 AM CDT SHOW
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH AND GUSTY.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE
STORMS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF WEVERE WEATHER
FORMATION AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER IS
SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS.06

Special weather statement, May 20, 9:47 AM CDT, 7 minutes before

TXZ031-037-201545-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
947 AM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1030 AM CDT FOR
HILL COUNTY...
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT FOR
BOSQUE...HILL...LIMESTONE AND MCLENNAN COUNTIES OF CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 940 AM CDT THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...
WERE SCATTERED FROM THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH AREA...SOUTH...THROUGH
CENTRAL TEXAS...TO NEAR LLANO.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST 45 MILE AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THESE AREAS CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS
OR ADVISORIES.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 8:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Hood, Parker	72 min
May 20, 8:53 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Somervell	67 min
May 20, 8:58 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Johnson	62 min
May 20, 9:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Tarrant	56 min
May 20, 9:26 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Hill	64 min
May 20, 9:31 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Dallas	59 min
May 20, 9:34 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Kaufman	56 min
May 20, 10:00 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	FWD	Kaufman	30 min
May 20, 11:16 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	FWD	McLennan	29 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1990 Every 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.