Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1994, 4:17 PM CDT for Harris County, Montgomery County, Texas. It was in force for 58 min. 1 report 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 15, 1994, 4:17 PM CDT (21:17 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 15, 1994, 5:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Harris County, TX, Montgomery County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:21 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 4:56 PM CDT | Tornado F2 | Lake Houston, TX | Tornado began on west shore of Lake Houston, crossed the lake then crossed the east shore in Indian Shores Estates. The air survey located minor damage and trees down on the west shore of the lake. Eye witnesses observed the tornado over the lake and WSR-88D |
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
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 216 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
- 1928 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -33 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 594 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 65 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 152 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 152117 RRA TORHOU TXC201-339-152215- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 417 PM CDT FRI APR 15 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...SOUTHERN HARRIS COUNTY AND SOUTHERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AT 418 CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADIC STORM NEAR TOMBALL. THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH. THIS STORM IS ALSO PRRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM TAKE IMMEDIATE SHELTER THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ... GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT 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.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 15, 2:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 2:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON, TX 241 PM CDT FRI APR 15 1994 THE COMBINATION OF HIGH CAPE VALUES... AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT... AND A S/W IN THE SUBTROPICAL FLOW HAVE TRIGGRED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE NORTHERN FRINGES OF THE COUNTY. WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT THE FRONT HAS SLOWED A BIT AS IT STILL NORTH OF CLL AND LFK. THEREFORE WILL AGAIN SLOW THE TIMING OF THE FRONT A FEW HOURS. AFTER THIS ROUND OF SVR |WX THE BIGGEST CONCERN WILL BE THE CLOUDS ALONG THE SUBTROPICAL THAT WILL BE SKIRTING THE SOUTHERN FRINGE. OTHERWISE... A GREAT WEEKEND IN STORE. GUIDANCE LOOKS OK. 44 IAH UU 056/080 053/082 055 446-00
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 1:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>213-226-227-236-152040- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 139 PM CDT FRI APR 15 1994 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH 7 PM CDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... BURLESON... BRAZOS... MADISON... GRIMES... HOUSTON... TRINITY... POLK... SAN JACINTO... WALKER... MONTGOMERY... WASHINGTON... COLORADO... AUSTIN... WALLER... LIBERTY... FORT BEND... WHARTON AND HARRIS. WITH VERY UNSTABLE AIR AHEAD OF AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL TEXAS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THROUGH 7 PM CDT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PRODUCED LARGE HAIL AND A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. THESE STORMS HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD MONITOR THERE LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS AND YOU NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATIONS FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES AND WARNINGS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A STORM APPROACHES. MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAIN. STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Grimes, Montgomery | 66 min |
| Apr 15, 3:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Waller | 61 min |
| Apr 15, 3:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin | 44 min |
| Apr 15, 3:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris, Montgomery | 55 min |
| Apr 15, 5:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty | 61 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.