Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

April 28, 1991Williamson County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 1991, 2:41 PM CDT for Williamson County, Texas. It was in force for 49 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
Apr 28, 1991, 2:41 PM CDT (19:41 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 1991, 3:30 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Williamson County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 28, 2:45 PM CDTTornado F0Williamson, TX
Apr 28, 3:15 PM CDTHail 1.5Williamson, 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

Stephenville/Cla, TX (KSEP), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 1991-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 822 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 1991-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 183 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
822 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-199 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
921 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
183 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAUS 281939
TORAUS
TXC491-282030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
241 PM CDT SUN APR 28 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY
 
AT AT 238 PM RADAR SHOWED A TORNADO ABOUT 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF TAYLOR.
THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND AND MOVING NORTHEST AT 40 MPH. THE
TORNADO WAS SPOTTED BY HAM OPERATORS.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
LSUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 28, 9:04 AM CDT, 5 hours 37 minutes before
TXZ034-035-038-039-054-281600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
903 AM CDT SUN APR 28 1991

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN...CONTINUED
ACROSS THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AND EDWARDS PLATEAU BETWEEN MENARD...
JUNCTION...ROCKSPRINGS AND DEL RIO AT 900 AM THIS MORNING.  THE ACTIVITY
WAS FORMING FURTHER TO THE EAST EACH HOUR...WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS LOCATED JUST TO
THE NORTHWEST OF ROCKSPRINGS.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHING FROM FAR WEST TEXAS TRIGGERED THE
STORMS ALONG A STATIONARY FRONT THAT STRETCHED FROM WACO TO JUNCTION TO
DEL RIO.  AS THE DISTURBANCE MOVES EASTWARD THIS MORNING...THE FRONT AND
ITS ASSOCIATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO MOVE TO THE EAST.  ONCE THE STORMS
REACH THE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS EAST OF THE HILL COUNTRY...NEAR
AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO...SOME COULD BECOME SEVERE.  LARGE HAIL OR DoAMAGING
WINDS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN...ARE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING.  THE SEVERE
WEATHER COULD CONTINUE INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 9:27 AM CDT, 5 hours 14 minutes before
TXZ030-034>036-281600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN TX
925 AM CDT SUN APR 28 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE WESTERN HILL COUNTRY...

AT 920 AM RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM ROCKSPRINGS TO
JUNCTION AND MENARD.  MOVEMENT OF THE RAIN AREA WAS SLOWLY TO THE EAST
WHILE THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS MOVED NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

AS THESE STROMS MOVE EASTWARD AND ENCOUNTER THE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE
AIR OF CENTRAL TEXAS SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.  PERSONS
ARE ADVISED TO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AS THESE
STORMS MOVE TOWARD CENTRAL TEXAS.
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 9:29 AM CDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before
TXZ054-281530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEL RIO TX
930 AM CDT SUN APR 28 1991

AT 930 AM CDT ONLY A FEW WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN
NORTHERN VAL VERDE COUNTY.  THE REMAINDER OF THE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED NORTHEAST INTO EDWARDS AND EASTERN SUTTON
COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 9:57 AM CDT, 4 hours 44 minutes before
TXZ034>036-038-039-054-281700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
958 AM CDT SUN APR 28 1991

AT 955 AM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN...ALONG AND EAST OF THE HILL COUNTRY FROM BRADY TO AUSTIN TO
ROCKSPRINGS AND JUNCTION.  THE ACTIVITY WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH
WHILE THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE
HEAVIEST RAIN WAS LOCATED JUST NORTH OF JUNCTION.

THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING TO THE EAST THROUGH THE
LATE MORNING...CROSSING MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY MID AFTERNOON.
AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD INTO DEEPER MOISTURE AND A MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS...
SOME STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.  THE GREATEST POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE
WEATHER WOULD BE EAST OF THE HILL COUNTRY...BEGINNING NEAR SAN ANTONIO
AND AUSTIN LATER THIS MORNING...AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON.

EVERYONE IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS IS URGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS
ON THESE DEVELOPING STORMS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER.
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 1:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
TXZ039-282000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANTONIO TX
123 PM CDT SUN APR 28 1991

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED INTO THE FAR NORTHWEST PORTION
OF BEXAR COUNTY.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND
35 MILES AN HOUR.  AT THIS RATE OF SPEED...THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
MOVING ACROSS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WITHIN THE HOUR.

STORNG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND MARBLE
TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVED
ACROSS MEDINA AND BANDERA COUNTIES DURING THE PAST HOUR.

THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS IN A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 6
PM THIS EVENING.

PERSONS IN AND AROUND BEXAR COUNTY AND THE SAN ANTONIO METROPOLITAN
AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE READY TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS BE ENCOUNTERED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 11:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMills42 min
Apr 28, 11:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Medina46 min
Apr 28, 12:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLlano45 min
Apr 28, 12:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera69 min
Apr 28, 12:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet54 min
Apr 28, 12:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKendall57 min
Apr 28, 1:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBlanco53 min
Apr 28, 1:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays49 min
Apr 28, 2:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe55 min
Apr 28, 3:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLee43 min
Apr 28, 3:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis54 min
Apr 28, 3:09 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBurleson51 min
Apr 28, 3:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson42 min
Apr 28, 3:44 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBastrop46 min
Apr 28, 4:05 PM CDTTornado WarningEWXBurleson40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.