Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

May 9, 1997Nueces County, San Patricio County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 1997, 12:37 PM CDT for Nueces County, San Patricio County, Texas. It was in force for 53 min. 2 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
May 9, 1997, 12:37 PM CDT (17:37 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 1997, 1:30 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Nueces County, TX, San Patricio County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 10 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:40 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 9, 1:10 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Agua Dulce, TXSheriff report of several large trees uprooted and structural damage to homes.
May 9, 1:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Robstown, TXSheriff report of several large trees uprooted.

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 12:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 24 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1997-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1825 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1997-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 92 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
1825 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
476 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 9, 10:52 AM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 10:52 AM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
COASTAL BEND FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR SEA CONDITIONS...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1050 AM CDT WED MAY 7 1997

SOLID LINE OF WEAKENING TSRA/SHRA MOVING SOUTHEAST ESPECIALLY ON
WESTERN END NEAR LRD. THE LINE TO MOVE THORUGH MOST OF AREA TODAY.
NEED TO INCREASE POPS/INSERT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS ALL AREAS.

12Z CRP SOUNDING SHOWS PW OF 1.75...K OF 30...LI OF -7 AND A GOOD
STEADY FLOW OF MOISTURE OF THE GULF. THIS TYPE OF MOIST...UNSTABLE
ATMOSPHERE WILL PROVIDE THE FUEL FOR SCT TSRA GOING THRU THE DAY.

ATMOSPHERE RIPE FOR MORE TSRA/SHRA TONIGHT...OUTFLOW/FRONT POSITION
AND WHERE DISTURBANCES WILL TRACK CRITICAL WHERE HEAVIEST RAINS WILL
FALL.  MORE ON THIS ON AFTERNOON PACKAGE.

...CHANGES TO ZONES...
VCT...60 POPS LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.
CRP...60 POPS LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. HIGH...LOW 80S INLAND UPPER 70S COAST.
LRD...HIGH...UPPER 70S.

MARINE DATA...2-3 FEET WAVES AND EAST WINDS OF 10 KNOTS.

LUNA...0074

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 12:23 PM CDTTornado WarningCRPJim Wells37 min
May 9, 1:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPKleberg, Nueces65 min
May 9, 1:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPSan Patricio65 min
May 9, 1:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPVictoria4 hr

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.