Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 22, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 20, 1996, 9:04 PM CDT for Washington County, Texas. It was in force for 56 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, 9:04 PM CDT (02:04 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 20, 1996, 10:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Washington County, TX
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 9:20 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Brenham, TX | |
| Sep 20, 9:23 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Brenham, TX | |
| Sep 20, 9:23 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 | Brenham, 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 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 291 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
- 234 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -264 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1539 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -46 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -7 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 210206 TORHOU TXC477-210300- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 904 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...WASHINGTON COUNTY A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM NEAR BRENHAM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 20 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN AND LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. THE STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING TORNADOES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO... GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT 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.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Sep 20, 8:31 PM CDT, 33 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 8:31 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 829 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996 VERY UNSTABLE ATMOS OVR SETX...AND A TORNADIC TSTM WAS OCCURRING OVR THE WRN PTN OF THE FCST AREA. THIS STM WAS OUT AHEAD OF THE LINE... AND MAY BE EVOLVING INTO A SUPERCELL. WL NEED TO UP THE CHCS FOR PRECIP IN THE CLL AREA TO THE LIKELY CAT. FFA STILL LOOKS GOOD ALSO. ...40...
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 20, 3:53 PM CDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-511-513-210900- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 350 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996 THERE IS A SLIGHT TO MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT FOR NEARLY ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. MOISTURE WAS RAPIDLY RETURNING TO THE REGION AS THE SOUTHERLY WINDS BEGAN STRENGTHENING IN RESPONSE TO AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE BEGAN MOVING INTO NORTH TEXAS. THIS WILL INCREASE THE SPEED OF THE JETSTREAM LEVEL WINDS HELPING TO DEVELOP SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A WIND SHIFT LINE IN CENTRAL TEXAS FROM NEAR FORT WORTH TO JUNCTION. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL SWING EAST REACHING SOUTHEAST TEXAS BY MID EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE LINE AND MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTHWEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING. DUE TO THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE NATURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND STRENGTH OF THE WINDS THROUGHOUT THE ATMOSPHERE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES EXISTS AS WELL AS STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. MARINE INTERESTS ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST SHOULD ANTICIPATE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS THIS EVENING WITH A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE COASTAL WATERS AGAIN LATER TONIGHT. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD EXPECT TO BE ACTIVATED THIS TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHERP NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS...WATCHES...OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Sep 20, 3:56 PM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before
TXZ176-195>198-210>212-226-227-235-236-210255- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 356 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 1000 PM THIS EVENING. THIS TORNADO WATCH IS GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE FROM MADISONVILLE TO HOUSTON TO MATAGORDA. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS TORNADO WATCH... ...AUSTIN...BRAZOS...BURLESON...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GRIMES... HARRIS...JACKSON...MADISON...MATAGORDA...WALLER...WASHINGTON...AND WALLER. THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY ARE INCLUDED IN THIS TORNADO WATCH. THUNDERSTORMS ARE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING IN CENTRAL TEXAS IN A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY AND LIKELY BECOME SEVERE AS THEY MOVE TO THE EAST TOWARD SOUTHEAST TEXAS DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. X A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND FUTURE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Sep 20, 7:29 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
TXZ163-164-210700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 730 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 2 AM FOR PARTS OF NORTHERN SOUTHEAST TEXAS. TRINITY... HOUSTON... ROBERTSON... AND LEON COUNTIES ARE ALL INCLUDED IN THE WATCH AREA. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA ARE URGNED TO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOP. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
Special weather statement, Sep 20, 8:19 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-511-513-210820- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 819 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH ARE: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...BRAZOS...BURLESON...CHAMBERS...COLORADO... FORT BEND...GALVESTON...GRIMES...HARRIS...HOUSTON...JACKSON... LIBERTY....MADISON...MATAGORDA...MONTGOMERY...POLK... SAN JACINTO...TRINITY...WALKER...WALLER...WASHINGTON...WHARTON AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN THE REGION. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE NEAR THIS AREA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 7:21 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Burleson | 69 min |
| Sep 20, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Washington | 60 min |
| Sep 20, 8:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin, Waller | 60 min |
| Sep 20, 8:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Waller | 63 min |
| Sep 20, 9:07 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Austin, Burleson, Washington | 3 hr |
| Sep 20, 9:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin | 62 min |
| Sep 20, 10:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado | 59 min |
| Sep 20, 10:34 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin, Fort Bend, Wharton | 56 min |
| Sep 20, 11:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado | 69 min |
| Sep 21, 12:02 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Austin | 118 min |
| Sep 21, 12:26 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Wharton | 64 min |
| Sep 21, 12:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Jackson | 66 min |
| Sep 21, 12:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 65 min |
| Sep 21, 1:45 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 3 hr |
| Sep 21, 2:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 68 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.