Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1995
Tornado Warning 45, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 17, 1995, 11:31 AM CST for Brazoria County, Texas. It was in force for 48 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Dec 17, 1995, 11:31 AM CST (17:31 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 17, 1995, 12:19 PM CST
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Brazoria County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:30 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
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 240 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
- 675 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -31 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 573 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 239 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 246 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 4.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 171733 TORHOU TXC039-171830- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 1131 AM CST SUN DEC 17 1995 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...BRAZORIA COUNTY AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHWEST BRAZORIA COUNTY AND WILL PASS BETWEEN BRAZORIA AND FREEPORT NEAR JONES CREEK. THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH. THE TORNADO WARNING FOR MATAGORDA COUNTY HAS EXPIRED. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO... SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM... SUCH AS A CLOSET OR HANLLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS... BLANKETS... OR PILLOWS.
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, 9:19 AM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 9:19 AM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 918 AM CST SUN DEC 17 1995 TSTMS LOOK TO BE IN THE PICTURE FOR SERN TX THRU TODAY. AREA SOUNDINGS AT 12Z SHOWED PW/S NR 1.5 TO 1.6...AND REFERRING TO THE QPFERD FROM NCEP...PW/S IN THE GULF WERE IN THE 1.5 TO 1.73 INCH RANGE. NEEDLESS TO SAY WL CONT THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU THE AFT AND CONSIDER EXTENDING THRU THE NIGHT AS THE NEW GUIDANCE COMES IN. SVR FACTOR FOR TODAY A CONCERN ALSO...ALREADY SEVERAL REPORTS OF SVR WX HAVE OCCURRED ACROSS THE FCST AREA THIS AM. SATL SHOWS MSC OVR THE ENTIRE AREA...WITH SOME BACKBUILDING OCCURRING. THE ENTIRE BOUNDARY DOES LOOK TO BE MOVG EWD SLOWLY...BUT CONVECTION BEHIND THIS AREA OF STORMS IS VERY PROBABLE THIS AFT. HEATING...EVEN FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...WL INTERACT WITH THE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOS. LOWERED TEMPS A BIT FAR INLAND COUNTIES...KEPT BASICALLY THE SAME ELSEWHERE. ...40...
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Dec 17, 5:47 AM CST, 5 hours 44 minutes before
TXZ211-237-210-227-198-213-163-200-236-199-179-178-164-177-212- 197-226-196-195-214-238-235-176-171800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 550 AM CST SUN DEC 17 1995 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH 12 PM... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON... COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN COMBINATION WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL PRODUCE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION TO THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY TODAY. RAINFALL TOTALS OF UP TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREA. THE CITIES OF HOUSTON...GALVESTON...COLLEGE STATION...BRENHAM...EL CAMPO...CONROE AND LIVINGSTON ARE INCLUDED IN THE WATCH AREA. AL,L INTERESTS ARE URGED TO MONITOR THIS WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 2:00 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Burleson | 60 min |
| Dec 17, 2:40 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 65 min |
| Dec 17, 3:06 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Grimes, Waller | 54 min |
| Dec 17, 3:19 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 56 min |
| Dec 17, 3:19 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Grimes | 39 min |
| Dec 17, 3:22 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Walker | 68 min |
| Dec 17, 4:23 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | San Jacinto | 52 min |
| Dec 17, 4:23 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 31 min |
| Dec 17, 5:16 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 59 min |
| Dec 17, 5:26 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | San Jacinto | 34 min |
| Dec 17, 5:33 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Matagorda | 57 min |
| Dec 17, 6:13 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Burleson | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 6:54 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Polk, San Jacinto | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 7:31 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 59 min |
| Dec 17, 7:39 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 51 min |
| Dec 17, 7:44 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Grimes | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 7:59 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 4 hr |
| Dec 17, 8:14 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Matagorda | 61 min |
| Dec 17, 8:43 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris, Liberty | 2 hr |
| Dec 17, 8:43 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris, Liberty | 2 hr |
| Dec 17, 9:00 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Galveston | 2 hr |
| Dec 17, 9:00 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Galveston | 2 hr |
| Dec 17, 9:27 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Galveston | 63 min |
| Dec 17, 9:47 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers | 118 min |
| Dec 17, 9:47 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 118 min |
| Dec 17, 10:02 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 118 min |
| Dec 17, 10:32 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Matagorda | 58 min |
| Dec 17, 11:15 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend | 4 hr |
| Dec 17, 11:15 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 4 hr |
| Dec 17, 11:23 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Galveston | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 2:27 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Galveston | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 3:20 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers | 2 hr |
| Dec 17, 3:20 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 2 hr |
| Dec 17, 5:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 59 min |
| Dec 17, 5:30 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Galveston | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 5:30 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers | 3 hr |
| Dec 17, 5:44 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 61 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.