Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Fort Worth, TX

April 13, 1996Denton County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 13, 1996, 9:28 PM CDT for Denton County, Texas. It was in force for 32 min. 9 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
Apr 13, 1996, 9:28 PM CDT (02:28 UTC)
Expired
Apr 13, 1996, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Denton County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 13, 9:36 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Justin, TX
Apr 13, 9:40 PM CDTThunderstorm WindRoanoke, TX
Apr 13, 9:45 PM CDTHail 0.75Denton, TX
Apr 13, 9:48 PM CDTHail 0.75Bolivar, TX
Apr 13, 9:58 PM CDTHail 0.88Argyle, TX
Apr 13, 10:00 PM CDTHail 1Argyle, TX
Apr 13, 10:00 PM CDTThunderstorm WindRoanoke, TX
Apr 13, 10:10 PM CDTHail 0.88Navo, TX
Apr 13, 10:10 PM CDTThunderstorm WindLewisville, 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

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 45 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, Fort Worth, TX at 00:00Z on 1996-04-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1583 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, Fort Worth, TX at 00:00Z on 1996-04-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 173 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
1583 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-107 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1904 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
173 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
364 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 140230
TORFTW
TXC121-140300-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
928 PM CDT SAT APR 13 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...DENTON COUNTY
 
AT 928 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR HIGHWAY 114 ON THE
WISE-DENTON COUNTY LINE ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JUSTIN. THE PARENT
STORM WAS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. JUSTIN AND ARGYLE ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A .TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 13, 4:34 PM CDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
TXZ094>097-105>112-122>126-135>138-150-151-140530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
435 PM CDT SAT APR 13 1996

...LATE NIGHT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT POSSIBLE FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH
TEXAS...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING LATE
TONIGHT FOR THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF NORTH TEXAS...NORTH AND EAST
OF A BONHAM TO ATHENS TO CARTAGE LINE.  THE RISK AREA INCLUDES
PARIS... SULPHUR SPRINGS...QUITMAN...TYLER...LONGVIEW...AND MARSHALL.

A DEEPENING SURFACE LOW IN SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO WILL TRACK EAST
OVERNIGHT AND INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA BY NOON SUNDAY.  AS THE SYSTEM
PUSHES EASTWARD...A SURFACE FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE RISK AREA AFTER
MIDNIGHT AND BECOME THE FOCUSING BOUNDARY FOR THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT.  A LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL AND EAST TEXAS
TONIGHT WILL AID IN THE TRANSPORT OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE RISK
AREA AHEAD OF THE FRONT.

FORECAST WINDS ALOFT INDICATE THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANT DIRECTIONAL
AND SPEED SHEER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL STORMS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES.  THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL MOVE EASTWARD
WITH THE FRONT AND ENCOMPASS MOST OF THE EXTREME EASTERN PORTIONS OF
NORTH TEXAS BY NOON SUNDAY.

SINCE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR BETWEEN 3 AM
AND SUNRISE...LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND SPOTTERS
SHOULD LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR AN UPDATED SEVERE WEATHER
OUTLOOK BY 10 PM.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 13, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWise60 min
Apr 13, 8:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCooke51 min
Apr 13, 8:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton, Grayson61 min
Apr 13, 9:20 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDWise25 min
Apr 13, 9:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSomervell31 min
Apr 13, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton43 min
Apr 13, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCollin, Grayson69 min
Apr 13, 10:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDJohnson67 min
Apr 13, 10:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBosque, Hamilton64 min
Apr 13, 10:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas40 min
Apr 13, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHunt45 min
Apr 13, 11:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta, Hopkins64 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.