Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Lake Charles, LA

May 16, 1991Hardin County, Texas

NWS Lake Charles, LA issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1991, 7:58 PM CDT for Hardin County, Texas. It was in force for 47 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 1991, 7:58 PM CDT (00:58 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1991, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Lake Charles, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Hardin County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 117 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1991-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3506 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1991-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3506 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
712 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 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 170058
TORBPT
TXC199-170145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
758 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORT ARTHUR HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM CDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
 
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
 
   ...SOUTHEASTERN HARDIN COUNTY
 
AT 755 PM CDT...TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUDS IN
THE VICINITY OF LUMBERTON.
 
THE THUNDERSTORMS SPAWNING THESE FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE MOVING EAST AT 20
MPH.
 
RESIDENTS OF LUMBERTON AND COMMUNITIES TO THE EAST IN HARDIN COUNTY
SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
 
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
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
NNNN

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 16, 2:29 PM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
TXZ033-046-048-162030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
229 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR
PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THIS WATCH
INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF JEFFERSON...HARDIN...ORANGE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
ENTERING TYLER COUNTY JUST WEST OF WOODVILLE.

MOST OF THE STRONGER ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED 20 MILES WEST OF LAKE
LIVINGSTON.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

NNNN
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
TXZ033-046-048-162130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
330 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR PARTS OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.  THIS WATCH
INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF JEFFERSON...HARDIN...ORANGE.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS SOUTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM SOUTHERN ANGELINA
COUNTY NEAR MANNING TO BUNA IN JASPER COUNTY.

STRONGEST ACTIVITY WAS STILL LOCATED WEST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS
JUST EAST OF COLLEGE STATION TO KATY.

MOVEMENT WqAS TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

NNNN
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
TXZ033-046-048-170030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORT ARTHUR TX
531 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 900 PM CDT...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 344 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR HARDIN...
POLK...ORANGE...JEFFERSON...AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF
JEFFERSON COUNTY UNTIL 900 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

AT 520 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS RANGED FROM HOUSTON TO EAST OF
CROCKETT...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS BETWEEN DIBOLL AND LUFKIN AT 520 PM CDT...
MOVING EAST 15 MPH.  THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS
AND GUSTY WINDS AS IT MOVES ACROSS ANGELINA COUNTY.

THE CREEKS...RIVERS...AND STREAMS ARE NEAR BANKFULL IN EAST AND
SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS EVENING.  THE GROUND IS SATURATED.  THIS MEANS
HEAVY RAINS MAY CAUSE SOME FLASH FLOODING.

MOTORISTS SHOULD BE VERY CAUTIOUS THIS EVENING AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS
MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF STREETS AND ROADWAYS.

NNNNK
Special weather statement, May 16, 6:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
LAZ001>003-005>009-011>014-MSZ010-TXZ028-032-033-045>049-170040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
645 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991

AT 630 PM...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAD DEVELOPED
OVER LOUISIANA FROM THE COASTAL WATERS JUST SOUTH OF CAMERON...NORTHEAST
ACROSS JENNINGS..CROWLEY..EUNICE..OPELOUSAS...AND VILLE PLATTE. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..STRONG GUSTY WINDS..AND POSSIBLY SOME
SMALL HAIL. FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS.

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN OVER TEXAS FROM HOUSTON..TO JUST
EAST OF LAKE LIVINGSTON..TO LUFKIN. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST
AT 25 MPH.

A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS BETWEEN
GALVESTON AND WHITE LAKE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAngelina, Tyler60 min
May 16, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson, Orange57 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.