Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

September 20, 1996Jim Wells County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 20, 1996, 11:59 AM CDT for Jim Wells County, Texas. It was in force for 61 min. 3 reports 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
Sep 20, 1996, 11:59 AM CDT (16:59 UTC)
Expired
Sep 20, 1996, 1:00 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Jim Wells County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 20, 12:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 62Alice, TX
Sep 20, 12:35 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 65Alice, TX
Sep 20, 12:35 PM CDTTornado F1Alice, TX

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 74 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 12:00Z on 1996-09-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2005 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 12:00Z on 1996-09-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2005 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
784 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCRP 201704
TORCRP
TXC249-201800-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1159 AM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY......
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...JIM WELLS COUNTY
 
AT 12 NOON DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ABOUT 5 MILES WEST
OF ORANGE GROVE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THE
STORM SHOULD PASS NEAR OR JUST TO THE EAST OF ALICE BY 1230
PM CDT.
 
PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE COVER NOW.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDXER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
COLE
 
&

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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Sep 20, 10:02 AM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 10:02 AM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
COASTAL BEND FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1000 AM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996

TSRA PRODUCING A TOR ACRS LIVE OAK CNTY ATTM MOVING TO THE SE
SEEMS TO BE WKNG SOME.  ALSO...SHRA ALG CST NR PORT ARANSAS
PRODUCED FUNNEL CLOUDS.  NO CHGS TO PREV FCST.

JAC...71

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 20, 7:10 AM CDT, 4 hours 49 minutes before
TXZ231>234-241>247-512-201300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
710 AM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS...THEREFORE THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN
CANCELLED. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF WEAKENING
THUNDERSTORMS FROM HONDO TO VICTORIA TO HOUSTON MOVING SOUTHEAST NEAR
105 MILES AN HOUR. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN
AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. MOTORISTS SHOULD DRIVE WITH CAUTION WHEN
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ENCOUNTERED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION

The office that day

Everything else NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 20, 9:26 AM CDTTornado WarningCRPLive Oak64 min
Sep 20, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPJim Wells65 min
Sep 20, 12:21 PM CDTTornado WarningCRPNueces54 min
Sep 20, 12:46 PM CDTTornado WarningCRPKleberg59 min
Sep 20, 1:14 PM CDTTornado WarningCRPNueces61 min
Sep 20, 1:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPKleberg, Nueces3 hr
Sep 20, 1:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPKleberg52 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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.