Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 13, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at May 8, 1991, 12:19 PM CDT for Harris County, Texas. It was in force for 56 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 8, 1991, 12:19 PM CDT (17:19 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 1991, 1:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Harris County, TX
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 213 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 555 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -37 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 626 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 104 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 197 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 081720 TORHOU TXC201-081815- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1219 PM CDT WED MAY 8 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...HARRIS COUNTY A REPORT HAS JUST BEEN RECEIVED OF A TORNADO TOUCHING THE GROUND NEAR THE SOUTHWEST FREEWAY AND BEECHNUT. DEBRIS WAS SEEN FLYING INTO THE AIR. NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE ALSO BEEN RECEIVED. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES THUNDERSTORMS ARE MERGING OVER HARRIS COUNTY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A ZBASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH 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, May 8, 7:54 AM CDT, 4 hours 25 minutes before
TXZ047-049-037-032-046-045-081500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 752 AM CDT WED MAY 8 1991 AT 750 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVUCE RADAR INDICATES A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 25 MILES WEST OF HOUSTON COUNTY SOUTHWESTWARD TO 25 MILES WEST OF WASHINGTON COUNTY. THIS LINE OF STRONG AND INCREASING THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 25 MPH. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...POSSIBLY SOME HAIL...CONSIDERABLE LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY FROM THESE INCREASING THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. CLOSELY MONITOR YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE LATESoT STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS THAT MAY BE ISSUED ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, May 8, 9:14 AM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
TXZ047-049-037-032-046-045-081615- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 913 AM CDT WED MAY 8 1991 AT 915 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR CROCKETT IN HOUSTON COUNTY SOUTHWESTWARD OVER THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF WALKER COUNTY...ACROSS GRIMES...AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES TO THE WESTERN PORTION OF COLORADO COUNTY. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH?EAST AT NEAR 25 MPH. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL...CONSIDERABLE LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 8, 10:20 AM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
TXZ047-049-037-032-046-045-081615- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 913 AM CDT WED MAY 8 1991 AT 915 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR CROCKETT IN HOUSTON COUNTY SOUTHWESTWARD OVER THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF WALKER COUNTY...ACROSS GRIMES...AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES TO THE WESTERN PORTION OF COLORADO COUNTY. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 25 MPH. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL...CONSIDERABLE LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 8, 10:38 AM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
TXZ047-081645- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1036 AM CDT WED MAY 8 1991 AT 1022 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WALLER COUNTY SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH CENTRAL AUSTIN TO SOUTHERN COLORADO COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THESE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTHERN HARRIS...NORTHERN FORT BEND AND WHARTON COUNTIES BY 1100 AM CDT THIS MORNING. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORM#S WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 20 MPH. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE THEIR SOUTHEASTWARD PROGRESSION.
Special weather statement, May 8, 11:15 AM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
TXZ047-049-037-032-046-045-081715- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1114 AM CDT WED MAY 8 1991 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WHARTON...AUSTIN...AND WALLER COUNTIES SPREADING EASTWARD INTO FORT BEND...HARRIS...AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY. AT 1115 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS OVER WHARTON...AUSTIN...AND WALLER COUNTIES NOVING TO THE EAST AT NEAR 15 MPH. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL...CONSIDERABLE DANGEROUS LIGHTING...AND HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLY CAUSING LOCAL STREET AND FREEWAY FEEDER ROAD FLOODING IS LIKELY. THIS BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS FORT BEND AND HARRIS COUNTIES BETWEEN 1130 AM AND 1230 THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND 100 MILES TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THESE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 11:42 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 63 min |
| May 8, 1:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris, Liberty, Montgomery | 62 min |
| May 8, 1:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers, Galveston | 2 hr |
| May 8, 2:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty | 55 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.