Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at May 13, 1994, 12:49 PM CDT for Colorado County, Texas. It was in force for 56 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
- May 13, 1994, 12:49 PM CDT (17:49 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 1994, 1:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Colorado County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 141 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1:35 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Colorado, TX | Public reported Tornado touched down N of Sheridan. |
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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 325 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
- 972 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -39 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 791 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 42 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 76 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 131750 TORHOU TXC089-131845- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1249 PM CDT FRI MAY 13 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 145 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ...COLORADO COUNTY AT 1240 PM...A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WAS 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SHERIDAN. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS WILL BRING THE STORM THROUGH SHERIDAN. LARGE HAIL IS ALSO LIKELY. 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 May 13, 9:41 AM CDT, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 13, 9:41 AM CDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON, TX
941 AM CDT FRI MAY 13 1994
AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY WAS INTERACTING IN AN UNCAPPED AND UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT OVR SE TX THIS MORNING PRODUCING SEVERAL WATERSPOUT AND
FUNNEL CLOUDS IN AND AROUND GLS BAY. LI`S RANGED FROM -8 TO -10 AND WILL
CONTINUE THE THREAT OF SCATTERED TSTORMS WITH ISOLATED PULSE SVR POSSIBLE
AGAIN THIS AFTN.
COLD AIR ALOFT WITH GUD HEIGHT FALLS CUD BE SEEN ACROSS SW TX ON 12Z
ANALYSIS. LOW SHUD CONTINUE TO MOVE TOWARDS SE TX THRU SAT INCSG THE CHC
FOR HVY RAINFALL AND SVR STORMS. SFC DEWPOINTS CONTINUE IN THE LOWER
TO MID 70S AS GULF MOISTURE CONTINUES TO DEEPEN.
ON THIS UPDATE WILL INCREASE THE POPS BACK TO SOLID CHC CATEGORY
ACROSS ALL ZONES THRU SAT DUE TO POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT AND
OUTFLOW BNDRY AND SEABREEZE INTERACTIONS.
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In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:23 AM CDT, 5 hours 26 minutes before
TXZ214-238-131320- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 723 AM CDT FRI MAY 13 1994 AT 650 AM... A WATERSPOUT WAS OBSERVED BY PERSONNEL AT SCHOLES FIELD IN GALVESTON. AT 715 AM... A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS OBSERVED BY WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL IN LEAGUE CITY. THE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS WILL CONTINUE TO BE FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF FUNNEL CLOUDS AND WATERSPOUTS THIS MORNING. PERSONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF A FUNNEL CLOUD APPROACHES THE GROUND NEAR YOUR AREA.
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:23 AM CDT, 5 hours 26 minutes before
TXZ214-238-131320- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 723 AM CDT FRI MAY 13 1994 AT 650 AM... A WATERSPOUT WAS OBSERVED BY PERSONNEL AT SCHOLES FIELD IN GALVESTON. AT 715 AM... A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS OBSERVED BY WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL IN LEAGUE CITY. THE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS WILL CONTINUE TO BE FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF FUNNEL CLOUDS AND WATERSPOUTS THIS MORNING. PERSONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF A FUNNEL CLOUD APPROACHES THE GROUND NEAR YOUR AREA.
Special weather statement, May 13, 11:19 AM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
TXZ211-210-198-163-164-177-212-197-041-051-313-132215- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1119 AM CDT FRI MAY 13 1994 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND WEST OF A LUFKIN TO HUNTSVILLE TO COLUMBUS LINE THIS AFTERNOON. A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSHPERE CONTINUES OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. IF THIS RAIN COOLED AREA OVER CENTRAL TEXAS CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON...THE COLLISION OF THE RAIN COOLED AIR AND THE HOT AND HUMID AIR OVER THE AREA WILL PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AT 11AM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS IN PROGRESS JUST NORTHWEST OF THE AUSTIN AREA. THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND FLASH FLOOODING. THE RISK AREA WILL BE MONITORED FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. STAY TUNED TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER UPDATES. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SKYWARN BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION.
Special weather statement, May 13, 11:20 AM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
TXZ211-210-198-163-164-177-212-197-041-051-313-132215- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1119 AM CDT FRI MAY 13 1994 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND WEST OF A LUFKIN TO HUNTSVILLE TO COLUMBUS LINE THIS AFTERNOON. A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSHPERE CONTINUES OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. IF THIS RAIN COOLED AREA OVER CENTRAL TEXAS CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON...THE COLLISION OF THE RAIN COOLED AIR AND THE HOT AND HUMID AIR OVER THE AREA WILL PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AT 11AM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS IN PROGRESS JUST NORTHWEST OF THE AUSTIN AREA. THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND FLASH FLOOODING. THE RISK AREA WILL BE MONITORED FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. STAY TUNED TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER UPDATES. EMERGENCY MANAGE^MENT AND SKYWARN BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 60 min |
| May 13, 2:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin, Washington | 41 min |
| May 13, 2:18 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 57 min |
| May 13, 2:33 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Colorado | 27 min |
| May 13, 2:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado | 2 hr |
| May 13, 3:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Washington | 34 min |
| May 13, 3:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Burleson | 68 min |
| May 13, 3:53 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Washington | 67 min |
| May 13, 4:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazos, Grimes | 60 min |
| May 13, 4:21 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Polk | 69 min |
| May 13, 4:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin, Waller | 59 min |
| May 13, 4:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 58 min |
| May 13, 4:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Houston, Trinity | 69 min |
| May 13, 5:07 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Harris, Montgomery | 68 min |
| May 13, 5:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Jackson | 44 min |
| May 13, 6:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty | 66 min |
| May 13, 6:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris | 59 min |
| May 13, 6:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 52 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.