Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 40, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 12, 1990San Augustine County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 12, 1990, 8:21 PM CDT for San Augustine County, Texas. It was in force for 69 min. 2 reports 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 12, 1990, 8:21 PM CDT (01:21 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1990, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County San Augustine 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 12, 8:50 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0San Augustine, TX
May 12, 9:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0San Augustine, 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 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 114 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 00:00Z on 1990-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -173 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2029 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-173 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-69 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 KBPT 130121
SVRBPT
TXC405-130230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
821 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORT ARTHUR HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM CDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
 
IN NORTHEAST TEXAS
 
   ...SAN AUGUSTINE COUNTY
 
AT 815 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
CHIRENO MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THIS STORM AS IT MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL
PART OF SAN AUGUSTINE COUNTY.
 
GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED IN NACOGDOCHES FROM THIS STORM
EARLIER THIS EVENING.
 
DCG
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
NNNN

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 12, 2:23 PM CDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
TXZ033-046-122030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
223 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED EARLIER FOR MUCH OF EAST AND NORTHEAST TEXAS
HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 9PM CDT TONIGHT.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN DEEP EAST TEXAS SINCE THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVED INTO LOUISIANA AROUND 9AM CDT.  AT 220PM CDT
RADAR SHOWS A FEW RAIN SHOWERS BETWEEN HOUSTON AND BEAUMONT EXTENDING
NORTHWARD INTO THE EAST TEXAS LAKES AREA.  SHOWERS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.  A FEW STRONGER STORMS WERE DEVELOPING ON THE
LOUISIANA SIDE OF LAKE TOLEDO BEND.

DJ

NNNN
Special weather statement, May 12, 2:32 PM CDT, 5 hours 49 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-122040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
235 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT THAT INCLUDES
   VERNON PARISH IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND GRANT...LA SALLE
   ...AND RAPIDES PARISHES IN CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH FOR THIS
   AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

AT 225 PM VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS CENTRAL LOUISIANA
FROM MANY TO WINNFIELD.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMOS
WERE SCATTERED ACROSS NORTHERN..CENTRAL AND..AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 12, 5:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-122340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
540 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND VERNON PARISH IN WEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 530 PM...A CLUSTER OF SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN IN
EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI FROM NATCHEZ TO 25 MILES SOUTHEAST AND
SOUTH OF ALEXANDRIA TO BATON ROUGE.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

A CLUSTER OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WAS ALSO LOCATED NORTHEAST THROUGH
SOUTHWEST OF WINNFIELD LOUISIANA TO NORTH VERNON PARISH AND THE TOLEDO
BEND RESERVOIR.
SCATTERED MOSTLY RAINSHOWERS WER LOCATED FROM LAFAYETTE ACROSS
LAKE CHARLES AND CAMERON TO NORTH OF BEAUMONT.
Special weather statement, May 12, 6:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-130040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND VERNON PARISH IN WEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 635 PM...APPARENT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EXTREME
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI NEAR AND JUST NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH OF NATCHEZ
MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN NORTH
EAST OF LAFAYETTE AND WEST...NORTHWEST...AND NORTHEAST OF BATON ROUGE...
NEAR AND WEST...NORTH...AND EAST OF LAKE CHARLES...AND JUST NORTH OF
ALEXANDRIA.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 12, 7:43 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
LAZ005-006-007-008-011-012-130140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
742 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
AND VERNON PARISH IN WEST LOUISIANA...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VERNON PARISH TONIGHT...

AT 730 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS INCREASING IN NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA AND EAST TEXAS FROM JUST NORTHWEST OF MANSFIELD...NORTH OF
SAN AUGUSTINE TEXAS...TO NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF LUFKIN.

MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

BANDS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED NORTH OF ALEXANDRIA ACROSS
AND NORTHEAST OF LASALLE PARISH...JUST NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF BATON
ROUGE WHILE SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE SHOWN FROM JUST SOUTH OF BATON ROUGE TO
SOUTHEAST OF LAFAYETTE TO EAST OF OAKDALE.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lake Charles, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 7:14 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHNacogdoches61 min
May 12, 9:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper, Tyler66 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.