Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Fort Worth, TX
NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Jan 17, 1996, 11:27 PM CST for Hopkins County, Hunt County, Rains County, Texas. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report 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, 11:27 PM CST (05:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 18, 1996, 12:30 AM CST
- In force
- 63 min
- Issued by
- NWS Fort Worth, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Hopkins County, TX, Hunt County, TX, Rains County, TX
The radar
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 149 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:29 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 18, 12:09 AM CST | Thunderstorm Wind | Cumby, 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, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 140 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 180530 TORFTW TXC231-223-379-180630- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1127 PM CST WED JAN 17 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS ...SOUTHERN HUNT COUNTY IN NORTHEAST TEXAS ...HOPKINS COUNTY...RAINS COUNTY AT 1126 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO OVER LAKE TAWAKONI MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH. 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, 9:38 PM CST, 1 hour 49 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, 10:51 PM CST | Tornado Warning | FWD | Kaufman | 69 min |
| Jan 17, 10:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Navarro | 52 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.