Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

December 18, 1995Lavaca County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 18, 1995, 2:38 AM CST for Lavaca County, Texas. It was in force for 67 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 18, 1995, 2:38 AM CST (08:38 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 1995, 3:45 AM CST
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Lavaca County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:41 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 188 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 1995-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3643 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 1995-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
3643 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
739 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.7
Supercell composite
-2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 180840
TORSAT
TXC285-180945-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
238 AM CST MON DEC 18 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  345 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...LAVACA COUNTY
 
DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHWEST LAVACA COUNTY
NEAR YOAKUM MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
 
 
PEOPLE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION
TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES.  GO TO YOUR BASEMENT...THE CENTER OF
BUILDINGS...COVER YOUR HEAD.  DO NOT GO NEAR DOORS OR WINDOWS. GET
OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES.  GET JINTO A STURDY BUILDING.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 17, 7:45 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXLee60 min
Dec 17, 7:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLee60 min
Dec 17, 9:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Medina58 min
Dec 18, 12:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKarnes61 min
Dec 18, 3:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGoliad33 min
Dec 18, 3:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKarnes61 min
Dec 18, 3:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.