Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 27, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 27, 1996, 9:56 AM CDT for Chambers County, Galveston County, Texas. It was in force for 64 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
- Sep 27, 1996, 9:56 AM CDT (14:56 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 27, 1996, 11:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 64 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Chambers County, TX, Galveston County, TX
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 10:25 AM CDT | Tornado F0 | Crystal Beach, 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
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 164 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
- 1499 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 581 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 164 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 182 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.8
- Supercell composite
- 4.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 271500 TORHOU TXC071-167-271600- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 956 AM CDT FRI SEP 27 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...SOUTHEASTERN CHAMBERS COUNTY...EASTERN GALVESTON COUNTY AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS AT 955 AM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST OFFSHORE OF CRYSTAL BEACH. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WAxRNING.
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 27, 3:15 AM CDT, 6 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 27, 3:15 AM CDT, 6 hours 41 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
315 AM CDT FRI SEP 27 1996
MASSIVE AFOS PROBLEMS AND VERY LIMITED DATA TO WORK WITH.
DUE TO DELAYS--WILL KEEP IT SHORT...VERY HEAVY RAINS HAVE OR ARE
STILL FALLING NORTH OF A MADISONVILLE-HUNTSVILLE-SHEPARD-LIVINGSTON
LINE. NESDIS RAINFALL ESTIMATIONS RANGING FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES. 88D
ESTIMATES RUNNING SHY BASED ON PRELIM REPORTS. APPEARS THAT
LIVINGSTON COUNTY MAY HAVE RECIEVED IN EXCESS OF 7 INCHES. CXO ASOS
REPORTED 0.41 INCH OF RAIN IN 5 MINUTES AT 315 AM. FRONT APPEARS TO
HAVE SLOWED DRAMATICALLY IN RESPONSE TO DIGGING S/W OVER THE ROCKIES.
THIS HAS PROMPTED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF SETX. SLUG OF
MOISTURE (PER WATER VAPOR) MOVING UP THE COAST TOWARD THE WATCH AREA
SO WOULD EXPECT REDEVELOPMENT/INTENSIFICATION TO THE SOUTH. FOR
FURTHER MET REASONING SEE SAT SFD. HIGH POPS WARRANTED FOR TODAY
WITH COOLER TEMPS DUE TO PRECIP AND CLOUD COVER. FRONT SHOULD MOVE
OFF THE COAST LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...BUT PREFRONTAL ACTIVITY
WILL LIKELY CONFUSE THIS ISSUE. VERY STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW
TONIGHT/SATURDAY WILL REQUIRE A GALE WARNING FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS.
THANKS SAT FOR THE BRIEFING AND ASSISTANCE...MUCH APPRECIATED!
45
DUE TO VERY LIMITED DATA
LOW CONFIDENCE ON THESE PRELIMS...
TEMP POP
CLL 85 5
IAH 86 8
GLS 87 8In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 27, 6:35 AM CDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
TXZ199-200-210-211-213-214-226-227-237-238-271720- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 624 AM CDT FRI SEP 27 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...COLORADO...MONTGOMERY...WHARTON...LIBERTY... CHAMBERS...HARRIS...FORTBEND...AND GALVESTON COUNTIES INCLUDING ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE COMBINED WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING WILL PRODUCE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE AND TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THIS AREA ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH THE AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
Special weather statement, Sep 27, 6:38 AM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
TXZ199-200-210>214-226-227-237-238-271720- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON TX 635 AM CDT FRI SEP 27 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...COLORADO...MONTGOMERY...WHARTON...LIBERTY... CHAMBERS...HARRIS...WALLER...FORT BEND...AND GALVESTON COUNTIES INCLUDING ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE COMBINED WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING WILL PRODUCE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE AND TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THIS AREA ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH THE AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 8:02 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Madison | 3 hr |
| Sep 26, 9:01 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Houston | 119 min |
| Sep 26, 10:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Trinity | 58 min |
| Sep 26, 10:57 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Houston, Madison, Trinity | 2 hr |
| Sep 26, 11:18 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 57 min |
| Sep 27, 12:11 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk, San Jacinto | 64 min |
| Sep 27, 1:12 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | San Jacinto, Walker | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 1:12 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Polk | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 4:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty, San Jacinto | 57 min |
| Sep 27, 4:20 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Polk, San Jacinto | 115 min |
| Sep 27, 4:38 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Montgomery | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 4:50 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Liberty | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 5:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty, Montgomery | 55 min |
| Sep 27, 5:54 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty, Montgomery | 66 min |
| Sep 27, 6:15 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Polk, San Jacinto | 105 min |
| Sep 27, 6:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 66 min |
| Sep 27, 6:50 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris, Montgomery | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 6:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty | 65 min |
| Sep 27, 7:54 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Liberty | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 9:38 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Liberty | 67 min |
| Sep 27, 9:47 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris, Montgomery | 3 hr |
| Sep 27, 10:33 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Liberty | 4 hr |
| Sep 27, 12:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Chambers | 66 min |
| Sep 27, 12:20 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers, Harris | 4 hr |
| Sep 27, 1:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers, Galveston | 48 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.