Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 29, NWS Brownsville, TX

May 27, 1997Starr County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 27, 1997, 11:57 PM CDT for Starr 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
May 27, 1997, 11:57 PM CDT (04:57 UTC)
Expired
May 28, 1997, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Starr County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 28, 12:15 AM CDTThunderstorm WindSan Carlos, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 27, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 152 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-05-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4398 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
4398 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
706 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

403 
WUUS1 KBRO 280458 RRA
SVRBRO
TXC427-280600-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1157 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN SOUTH TEXAS
 
   ...STARR COUNTY
 
BROWNSVILLE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER WESTERN
STARR COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DONT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DONT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 27, 8:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 27, 8:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
825 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 1997

BROWNSVILLE DOPPLER RADAR INDCTS AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE CWA OF BRO.  THIS AREA HAS POTENTIAL
OF MOVING THROUGH THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING IF THE THUNDERSTORMS
DO NOT DISSIPATE BEFORE IT REACHES THE VALLEY.  A 20 PERCENT CHANCE
IS GOOD FOR RIGHT NOW...IT MAY HAVE TO BE UPDATED IF THIS AREA MOVES
SOUTHWARD.  BEARS WATCHING AT THIS TIME.  NO UPDATES ARE NEEDED AT
THIS MOMENT.

55

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 10:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Jim Hogg, Starr, Zapata67 min
May 27, 11:20 PM CDTTornado WarningBROJim Hogg55 min
May 27, 11:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Jim Hogg62 min
May 28, 12:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo67 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.