Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

April 5, 1991Bexar County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Apr 5, 1991, 4:20 AM CST for Bexar County, Texas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 5, 1991, 4:20 AM CST (10:20 UTC)
Expired
Apr 5, 1991, 7:15 AM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Bexar County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 223 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 00:00Z on 1991-04-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1559 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 1991-04-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 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
1559 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
663 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 051020
FFWSAT
TXC029-051315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
420 AM CST FRI APR 5 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
          ...BEXAR
 
AT 415 AM CST THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HONDO TEXAS SHOWED
AND AREA OF HEAVY RAIN FROM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WEST AND
SOUTHWEST OF SAN ANTONIO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
THIS AREA OF HEAVY RAIN HAS BEGUN TO MOVE INTO WESTERN BEXAR COUNTY
WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL FLOODING OVER THE AREA IN THE NEXT 3 HOURS.
 
THE GROUND IS ALL READY SATURATED FROM HEAVY RAINS DURING THE NIGHT
AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.  FLOODING CONTINUES ACROSS OLMOS AND SALADO
CREEKS IN NORTHERN BEXAR COUNTY AND LEON CREEK IN WESTERN BEXAR
COUNTY.
 
MOTORISTS MUST KEEP AWAY FROM FLOODED LOW AREAS AND NOT TRY TO DRIVE
IN OR NEAR THE FLOOD PLAINS OF THESE CREEKS ALREADY IN FLOOD.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED.
 
REMEMBER...DEATHS DURING FLASH FLOODING ARE FREQUENTLY RELATED TO
MOTORISTS DRIVING INTO FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS OR FROM CHILDREN
PLAYING NEAR FLOODED STREAMS OR DRAINAGE AREAS.
 
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OFTEN ACCOMPANY FLASH FLOOD
PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS.
 
YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR
SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
 
PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS REGARDING THIS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.

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 4, 11:17 PM CST, 5 hours 3 minutes before
TXZ036-050600

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
1110 PM CST THU APR 4 1991

                      ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT...

AT 11 PM RADAR INDICATED A WIDESPREAD AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUING OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS WITH THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NORTH OF SAN ANTONIO AREA TO AUSTIN AND THEN
EAST TO NEAR ELGIN AND BASTROP.  FLOODING OF LOW LYING ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
HAS BEEN REPORTED IN EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY AND OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
WESTERN BASTROP COUNTY.  OVER THREE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN
NEAR ELGIN AND INDICATIONS ARE THAT MORE THAN TWO INCHES HAS FALLEN
OVER PORTIONS OF THAT GENERAL AREA EAST OF AUSTIN.

PERSONS SHOULD AVOID TRAVEL TONIGHT.  LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND ROADS ARE THE
FIRST TO FLOOD AND CAN BE FATAL.  STAY TUNED TO LOCAL TV OR RADIO OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 5, 12:12 AM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes before
TXZ036-037-050730

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
1205 AM CST FRI APR 5 1991

                      ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT...

AT 1157 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A WIDESPREAD AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE AREA WAS 80 MILES WIDE
EXTENDING FROM SAN ANTONIO TO SAN MARCOS TO BASTROP TO COLLEGE STATION.
THE HEAVIEST RAINFAL WAS OCCURRING JUST NORTH OF SAN ANTONIO TO WEST OF
SAN MARCOS TO NEAR AUSTIN.  MOVEMENT OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

RAINFALL DURING THE EVENING HOURS YESTERDAY HAVE SATURATED THE GROUND IN MANY
LOCATIONS WITH SOME LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND LOW LYING AREAS REPORTED UNDER
WATER.  WITH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL LIKELY TONIGHT AND ON FRIDAY...FLOODING AND
FLASH FLOODING COULD BECOME A SERIOUS THREAT WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.
IN ADDITION...FREQUENT LIGHTNING HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THE THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY.

PERSONS SHOULD AVOID TRAVEL IF AT ALL POSSIBLE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
REMEMBER...LOW WATER CROSSINGS ARE THE FIRST TO FLOOD AND CROSSING
THEM CAN BE FATAL.  STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TV/RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER
FOR FURTHER UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THIS PO
TENTIALLY DANGEROUS
FLOOD SITUATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 5, 5:47 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXVictoria118 min
Apr 5, 6:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXJackson, Victoria63 min
Apr 5, 7:02 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBexar3 hr
Apr 5, 7:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXCalhoun, Jackson63 min
Apr 5, 7:38 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXVictoria3 hr
Apr 5, 8:29 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXCalhoun3 hr
Apr 5, 10:29 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXVictoria2 hr
Apr 5, 11:29 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXCalhoun2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1991Every flash flood warning in 1991

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.