Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Fort Worth, TX
NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Jan 17, 1996, 10:51 PM CST for Kaufman County, Texas. It was in force for 69 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
- Jan 17, 1996, 10:51 PM CST (04:51 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 18, 1996, 12:00 AM CST
- In force
- 69 min
- Issued by
- NWS Fort Worth, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Kaufman County, TX
The radar
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:54 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 11:00 PM CST | Tornado F1 | Talty, TX | |
| Jan 17, 11:00 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind | Crandall, TX | |
| Jan 17, 11:14 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind | Terrell, 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, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 97 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
- 320 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -52 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1337 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 82 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 428 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 374 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 2.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KFTW 180453 TORFTW TXC257-180600- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1051 PM CST WED JAN 17 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS ...KAUFMAN COUNTY AT 1048 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO IN SOUTHEAST DALLAS COUNTY JUST NORTHEAST OF SEAGOVILLE...MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 55 TO 60 MPH. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF DAMAGE IN SOUTHERN TARRANT AND DALLAS COUNTIES...MAINLY ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20. RESIDENTS OF KAUFMAN COUNTY...ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA NEAR CRANDALL...SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. &
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, Jan 17, 5:15 PM CST, 5 hours 36 minutes before
TXZ093>097-103>112-118>126-131>138-144>153-157>167-174-175-180700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 515 PM CST WED JAN 17 1996 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF NORTH TEXAS...GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A GAINESVILLE-FORT WORTH-GATESVILLE LINE. THE CITIES OF SHERMAN... PARIS...TYLER...LONGVIEW...MARSHALL...WACO...TEMPLE...KILLEEN... LUFKIN...AND THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH METROPLEX ARE INCLUDED IN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA. AN INTENSE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM OVER ARIZONA CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THE UPPER SYSTEM STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WERE GRADUALLY INCREASING MOISTURE VALUES ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THIS EVENING A FAST-MOVING COLD FRONT WILL OVERTAKE A STATIONARY DRY LINE THAT EXTENDED NEAR A VERNON-ABILENE LINE AT 5PM. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT AFTER SUNSET... MOST LIKELY NEAR A WICHITA FALLS-BRECKENRIDGE LINE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM INTO A BROKEN TO SOLID SQUALL LINE NEAR A SHERMAN-DALLAS- WAXAHACHIE LINE BY MIDNIGHT...THEN MOVE RAPIDLY EAST INTO EAST TEXAS. CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND SHORT-RANGE COMPUTER FORECASTS INDICATE THAT THE COMBINATION OF MODEST INSTABILITIES AND RAPID INCREASE OF WIND SPEEDS WITH HEIGHT THROUGH 6000 FEET WILL RESULT IN A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING SEVERE WIND STORMS. THESE STORMS LIKELY WILL ASSUME THE RADAR SHAPE OF "BOW ECHOES". DAMAGING DOWNBURSTS WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY MODE OF SEVERE WEATHER...HOWEVER THE VERY STRONG WIND FIELDS COULD RESULT IN A FEW TORNADOES...MAINLY WITH THE BOW ECHO STORMS. SOME SMALL HAIL ALSO MAY OCCUR WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH A GIVEN AREA VERY QUICKLY...WITH THE STORMS LIKELY TO MOVE WITH FORWARD SPEEDS ABOVE 45 MPH. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL END WITH THE ARRIVAL OF COOL NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT. OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND BOTH AHEAD AND NORTH OF THE COLD FRONT ENVIRONMENTAL WINDS WILL CONTINUE QUITE STRONG TONIGHT. SOME MINOR DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED ACROSS NORTH TEXAS DURING THE DAY...AND MORE MINOR DAMAGE MAY OCCUR TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THE STRONG WIND FIELD. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION TONIGHT...MAINLY IN CENTRAL SECTIONS THIS EVENING...AND IN EAST TEXAS LATE TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Jan 17, 5:22 PM CST, 5 hours 29 minutes before
TXZ093>097-103>112-118>126-131>138-144>153-157>167-174-175-180700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 515 PM CST WED JAN 17 1996 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF NORTH TEXAS...GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A GAINESVILLE-FORT WORTH-GATESVILLE LINE. THE CITIES OF SHERMAN... PARIS...TYLER...LONGVIEW...MARSHALL...WACO...TEMPLE...KILLEEN... LUFKIN...AND THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH METROPLEX ARE INCLUDED IN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA. AN INTENSE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM OVER ARIZONA CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THE UPPER SYSTEM STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WERE GRADUALLY INCREASING MOISTURE VALUES ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THIS EVENING A FAST-MOVING COLD FRONT WILL OVERTAKE A STATIONARY DRY LINE THAT EXTENDED NEAR A VERNON-ABILENE LINE AT 5PM. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT AFTER SUNSET... MOST LIKELY NEAR A WICHITA FALLS-BRECKENRIDGE LINE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM INTO A BROKEN TO SOLID SQUALL LINE NEAR A SHERMAN-DALLAS- WAXAHACHIE LINE BY MIDNIGHT...THEN MOVE RAPIDLY EAST INTO EAST TEXAS. CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND SHORT-RANGE COMPUTER FORECASTS INDICATE THAT THE COMBINATION OF MODEST INSTABILITIES AND RAPID INCREASE OF WIND SPEEDS WITH HEIGHT THROUGH 6000 FEET WILL RESULT IN A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING SEVERE WIND STORMS. THESE STORMS LIKELY WILL ASSUME THE RADAR SHAPE OF "BOW ECHOES". DAMAGING DOWNBURSTS WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY MODE OF SEVERE WEATHER...HOWEVER THE VERY STRONG WIND FIELDS COULD RESULT IN A FEW TORNADOES...MAINLY WITH THE BOW ECHO STORMS. SOME SMALL HAIL ALSO MAY OCCUR WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH A GIVEN AREA VERY QUICKLY...WITH THE STORMS LIKELY TO MOVE WITH FORWARD SPEEDS ABOVE 45 MPH. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL END WITH THE ARRIVAL OF COOL NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT. OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND BOTH AHEAD AND NORTH OF THE COLD FRONT ENVIRONMENTAL WINDS WILL CONTINUE QUITE STRONG TONIGHT. SOME MINOR DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED ACROSS NORTH TEXAS DURING THE DAY...AND MORE MINOR DAMAGE MAY OCCUR TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THE STRONG` WIND FIELD. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION TONIGHT...MAINLY IN CENTRAL SECTIONS THIS EVENING...AND IN EAST TEXAS LATE TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Jan 17, 9:38 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
TXZ091>094-098>105-113>121-127>134-181200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 938 PM CST WED JAN 17 1996 ...HIGH WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING... A HIGH WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE WATCH AREA IS GENERALLY NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM ABILENE TO WAXAHACHIE TO BONHAM. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF SHERMAN...GAINESVILLE...DENTON...BRECKENRIDGE...WEATHERFORD...GRAHAM ...AND THE DALLAS FORT WORTH METROPLEX. THIS WATCH IS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SUSTAINED NORTH WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH...MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. AN EXTREMELY STRONG WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS THIS EVENING. ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM...AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT IS MOVING RAPIDLY SOUTH ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS ARCTIC AIR SHOULD EXTEND FROM A GRAHAM TO ABILENE LINE SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...REACHING A PARIS...DALLAS...LAMPASAS LINE BY 200 AM...AND A CLARKSVILLE....TYLER...CAMERON LINE BY 400 AM. OVER THE WATCH AREA...WINDS WILL TURN NORTHWESTERLY AND INCREASE TO SPEEDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH POSSIBLE. WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 60 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA. ALONG WITH THE STRONG WINDS...TEMPERATURES WILL FALL SHARPLY BEHIND THE FRONT. SEVERAL STATIONS IN OKLAHOMA HAVE SEEN TEMPERATURES FALL AS MUCH AS 30 DEGREES IN 30 MINUTES. MEANWHILE...A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTH TEXAS FOR TONIGHT WITH SOUTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE. FORECASTERS CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THIS SITUATION AND A HIGH WIND WARNING MAY BE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT OR EARLY THURSDAY MORNING SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT. RESIDENTS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD TAKE ALL PRECAUTIONS EARLY THIS EVENING TO PROTECT PROPERTY FROM THE HIGH WINDS EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT. MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING IN THE WATCH AREA AND BE ALERT TO SUDDEN GUSTS WHICH MAY CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE. DRIVERS OF HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLES SUCH AS CAMPERS AND TRUCKS SHOULD BE EXTREMELY ALERT TO THE DANGERS OF THESE WINDS....ESPECIALLY ON EAST-WEST ROADS. BOATERS SHOULD AVOID THE OPEN AREAS ON LAKES AS WATERS WILL BE VERY CHOPPY AND HAZARDOUS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES. 70
The office that day
Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 8:36 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Denton | 69 min |
| Jan 17, 8:43 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Mills | 62 min |
| Jan 17, 9:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Erath | 35 min |
| Jan 17, 9:17 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Hamilton | 28 min |
| Jan 17, 9:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Hood, Somervell | 38 min |
| Jan 17, 9:28 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Parker, Tarrant | 62 min |
| Jan 17, 9:41 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Coryell | 34 min |
| Jan 17, 9:51 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Johnson | 54 min |
| Jan 17, 10:02 PM CST | Tornado Warning | FWD | Dallas, Tarrant | 58 min |
| Jan 17, 10:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | McLennan | 45 min |
| Jan 17, 10:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Hill | 68 min |
| Jan 17, 10:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Navarro | 52 min |
| Jan 17, 11:27 PM CST | Tornado Warning | FWD | Hopkins, Hunt, Rains | 63 min |
| Jan 17, 11:34 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Henderson | 26 min |
| Jan 17, 11:36 PM CST | Tornado Warning | FWD | Henderson | 39 min |
| Jan 17, 11:56 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Van Zandt | 49 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.