Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 40, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

December 17, 1995Grimes County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 17, 1995, 3:19 AM CST for Grimes County, Texas. It was in force for 39 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 17, 1995, 3:19 AM CST (09:19 UTC)
Expired
Dec 17, 1995, 3:58 AM CST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Grimes County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 271 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 1995-12-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 654 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1995-12-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 28 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
654 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
659 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 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 KHOU 170918
TORHOU
TXC185-339-171015-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
319 AM CST SUN DEC 17 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
 
   ...GRIMES COUNTY...MONTGOMERY COUNTY
 
AT 318 AM...RADAR INDICATED A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF
MAGNOLIA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. MONTGOMERY IS IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY
REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A
CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
 


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 Dec 17, 2:26 AM CST, 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 2:26 AM CST, 53 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
220 AM CST SAT DEC 16 1995

CONVECTION FINALLY BREAKING OUT!  A GOOD DEAL OF TRAINING ALREADY
OCCURING IN THE INVERTED PRESSURE TROF AND FOCUSING NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF THE THETA-E RIDGE AND WF AROUND CLL.  THETA-E RIDGE
SHOULD BECOME MORE EXPLOSIVE AS LLJ STRENGTHENS AND MORE MOISTURE
STREAMS IN.   OLD TIME FORECASTER FROM THE OFFICE RECOUNTED THAT
THESE TYPE OF CUTOFF LOWS COMING OUT OF THE W WILL FOCUS PRECIP IN
CLOSER TO THE LOW AS THEY BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND ARE VERY FREQUENTLY
SLOWER IN MOVEMENT THAN MODELS PREDICT.  AND LASTLY...BEWARE OF THE
NOCTURNAL ENVIORNMENT...PRECIP IS MUCH HEAVIER THAN IS USUALLY
EXPECTED.  GIVEN THE TREND OF THE LAST 4 DAYS HAVE TO AGREE WITH
LOCAL WISDOM.      FFA IS A MUST...HIGH POPS AND MENTION SVR.

UPPER DIFFLUENCE GOING BALLISTIC BY 12Z TODAY AND CONTINUES
THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.  SEE NCEP PRODUCTS FOR QPF REASONING WHICH
APPEARS VALID BUT GIVEN THE TRENDS EVIDENT ISOLATED 6+" APPEARING
MORE LIKELY.  ON SATEL...NEXT IMPULSE SHOULD REACH THE WESTERN AREA
AROUND 12Z WHICH AGREES WELL WITH ETA PROG.  COORDINATION WITH SPC
INDICATING SVR WATCH BEING CONSIDERED ATTM.  GOT TO GO...VILS OF 54
SUPPORTING TREMENDOUS MARBLE-SIZED HAIL FALLOUTS.  REFLECTIVITY CORES
OF 55 DBZ AT OR ABOVE 27KFT APPEAR TO BE THE SVR THRESHOLD ATTM.

45

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 16, 10:44 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-511-513-171045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX
1044 PM CST SAT DEC 16 1995

...A DENSE FOG ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT AND SUNDAY
MORNING...

PATCHY DENSE FOG DEVELOPED EARLY THIS EVENING IN THE BRAZOS RIVER
VALLEY AND A LITTLE LATER IN THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY FROM LA GRANGE
SOUTHEASTWARD.  PATCHY SEA FOG ALONG THE COAST HAD PUSHED INLAND TO
THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SUBURBS OF HOUSTON...AS WELL AS GALVESTON
AND TRINITY BAY.  AT 1030 PM...VISIBILITIES HAD DROPPED TO NEAR 1/4
MILE AT BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION.  GENERALLY...VISIBILITIES WERE IN THE 1
TO 3 MILE RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA.

A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL SYSTEM LOCATED FROM NEAR JASPER WESTWARD
TO NEAR SAN ANTONIO WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY NORTHWARD OVERNIGHT ALLOWING
THE FOG TO BLANKET MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY
MORNING.  VISIBILITY WILL LIKELY DROP TO LESS THAN 1/2 MILE OVER MUCH
OF THE REGION.

THE DENSE FOG WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH THE MID MORNING HOURS
SUNDAY...SO MOTORISTS TRAVERSING THROUGH SOUTHEAST TEXAS
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT SHOULD BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL...SLOW DOWN...
USE ONLY YOUR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS TO AVOID BLINDING ON COMING VEHICLE.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 17, 2:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBurleson60 min
Dec 17, 2:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMatagorda65 min
Dec 17, 3:06 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes, Waller54 min
Dec 17, 3:19 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXMontgomery56 min
Dec 17, 3:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXWalker68 min
Dec 17, 4:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto52 min
Dec 17, 4:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery31 min
Dec 17, 5:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk59 min
Dec 17, 5:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto34 min
Dec 17, 5:33 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria, Matagorda57 min
Dec 17, 6:13 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBurleson3 hr
Dec 17, 6:54 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXPolk, San Jacinto3 hr
Dec 17, 7:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMatagorda59 min
Dec 17, 7:39 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda51 min
Dec 17, 7:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXGrimes3 hr
Dec 17, 7:59 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXMontgomery4 hr
Dec 17, 8:14 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Matagorda61 min
Dec 17, 8:43 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXHarris, Liberty2 hr
Dec 17, 8:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Liberty2 hr
Dec 17, 9:00 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXGalveston2 hr
Dec 17, 9:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGalveston2 hr
Dec 17, 9:27 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXGalveston63 min
Dec 17, 9:47 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers118 min
Dec 17, 9:47 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers118 min
Dec 17, 10:02 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXMatagorda118 min
Dec 17, 10:32 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Matagorda58 min
Dec 17, 11:15 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend4 hr
Dec 17, 11:15 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXMatagorda4 hr
Dec 17, 11:23 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXGalveston3 hr
Dec 17, 11:31 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria48 min
Dec 17, 2:27 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXGalveston3 hr
Dec 17, 3:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers2 hr
Dec 17, 3:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria2 hr
Dec 17, 5:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria59 min
Dec 17, 5:30 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Galveston3 hr
Dec 17, 5:30 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers3 hr
Dec 17, 5:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk61 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.