Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

March 9, 1994Jim Wells County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this tornado warning at Mar 9, 1994, 2:55 AM CST for Jim Wells County, Texas. It was in force for 35 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 9, 1994, 2:55 AM CST (08:55 UTC)
Expired
Mar 9, 1994, 3:30 AM CST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Jim Wells County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 74 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 1994-03-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 986 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 1994-03-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 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
986 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-209 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
575 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCRP 090858
TORCRP
TXC249-090930-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
255 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY.....
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...NORTHERN JIM WELLS COUNTY
 
AT 251 AM THIS MORNING...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 6
MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF ALICE IN JIM WELLS COUNTY MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TOWARDS ORANGE GROVE.
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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, Mar 9, 12:18 AM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
TXZ224-225-233-234-235-247-090715-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VICTORIA TX
1218 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994

...COLD FRONT WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS BLASTS THROUGH THE VICTORIA AREA...

THE COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH THE VICTORIA AREA AT 1158 PM WITH WIND
GUSTS TO 38 MPH AND DRIVING RAIN DROPPING TEMPERATURES FROM THE UPPER
60S TO THE MIDDLE 50S.  AT 1210 RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN LOCATED FROM NEAR HOUSTON TO
PORT LAVACA TO CORPUS CHRISTI TO SAN ANTONIO TO COLLEGE STATION BACK TO
HOUSTON.  THE HEAVIER RAINFALL WAS LOCATED FROM GANADO TO CUERO TO THREE
RIVERS.  THE AREA OF PRECIPATION WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
CAN BE EXPECTED.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

05
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 12:55 AM CST, 2 hours before
TXZ224-225-233-234-235-090800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VICTORIA TX
1256 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994

...COLD FRONT WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS BLASTS THROUGH THE VICTORIA AREA...

THE COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH THE VICTORIA AREA AT 1158 PM.  WIND
GUSTS TO 44 MPH AND DRIVING RAIN WERE OBSERVED AT THE VICTORIA NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

AT 1245 AM CST RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN EAST
DEWITT COUNTY MOVING INTO SOUTHERN LAVACA COUNTY.  VERY HEAVY RAIN
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL MAY
ACCOMPANY THIS STORM AS IT MOVES TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
VICTORIA COUNTY.

VERY HEAVY RAIN HAS BEEN OCCURING IN THE CROSSROADS AREA THE PAST
HOUR.  MOTORISTS BE ALERT TO THE FLOODING OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV OR LOCAL RADIO
FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

05
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 1:06 AM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes before
TXZ231-232-240-241-242-243-244-245-246-090900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
104 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING WEST OF COASTAL BEND...

AT 1 AM THIS MORNING...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING
WEST OF THE COASTAL BEND IN AN AREA FROM JUST SOUTH OF CAMPBELLTON TO
LAREDO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FREER WITH
OTHER HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF FREER AND JUST NORTH OF
THREE RIVERS.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE EASTWARD INTO GOLIAD... VICTORIA AND REFUGIO
COUNTIES WHILE A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN COVERED A LARGE PART OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AROUND THE THUNDERSTORM AREAS.

DCG
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 1:51 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
TXZ224-225-233-234-235-090900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VICTORIA TX
152 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994

...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS CONTINUE IN VICTORIA...
...COLD FRONT WITH GUSTY WINDS REPORTED ON PORT OCONNOR...

AT 145 AM CST VICTORIA RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER
VICTORIA WITH WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH...HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.  THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

TOTAL RAINFALL SO FAR AT THE VICTORIA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE
WAS 1.11 INCHES SINCE MIDNIGHT.

ALONG THE COAST...THE PORT OCONNOR COAST GUARD REPORTED A COLD FRONTAL
PASSAGE AT AROUND 140 AM WITH WIND GUSTS 20 TO 30 KNOTS FROM THE NORTH.

MARINERS ALONG THE COAST ARE ADVISED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION.  A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
.
STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV OR LOCAL RADIO
FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

05
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 2:14 AM CST, 41 minutes before
TXZ231-232-240-241-242-243-244-245-246-090915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
215 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED WEST OF COASTAL BEND...

AT 2 AM THIS MORNING...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING
WEST OF THE COASTAL BEND IN AN AREA FROM LAREDO TO GEORGE WEST TO
CAMPBELTON MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 20 MILES EAST OF LAREDO
AND JUST WEST OF GEORGEWEST.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE EASTWARD INTO GOLIAD... VICTORIA AND REFUGIO
COUNTIES WHILE A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN COVERED A LARGE PART OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AROUND THE THUNDERSTORM AREAS GENERALLY OF A LINE FROM
LAREDO TO BA#FFIN BAY AND TO THE UPPER TEXAS COAST.
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 2:30 AM CST, 25 minutes before
TXZ224-225-233-234-235-090915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VICTORIA TX
231 AM CST WED MAR 9 1994

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING WEST OF THE CROSSROADS AREA...

AT 225 AM CST VICTORIA RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
TOWARD GOLIAD COUNTY.  RESIDENTS IN THE TOWNS OF BERCLAIR AND GOLIAD
SHOULD PREPARE FOR VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AS THESE STORMS MOVE QUICKLY TO THE
EAST AT 40 MPH.

MARINERS ALONG THE COAST ARE ADVISED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION AS GUSTY
NORTH WINDS CONTINUE AT 20 TO 30 KNOTS.  A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN
EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

...STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL NOAA WEATHER RADIIO...TV AND RADIO STATIONS
FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS...
05

The office that day

Everything else NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 8, 10:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPDuval38 min
Mar 9, 3:34 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPBee, San Patricio26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.