Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

March 18, 1997Duval County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 18, 1997, 2:00 PM CST for Duval County, Texas. It was in force for 60 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
Mar 18, 1997, 2:00 PM CST (20:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 18, 1997, 3:00 PM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Duval County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:01 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
Mar 18, 2:20 PM CSTHail 0.75San Diego, 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 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 115 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 1997-03-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1325 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 1997-03-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1325 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-62 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCRP 182001 RRA
SVRCRP
TXC131-182100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
200 PM CST TUE MAR 18 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY......
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...DUVAL COUNTY
 
AT 200 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN DUVAL COUNTY 10 MILES SOUTH OF FREER
MOVING TOWARDS THE TOWNS OF BENAVIDES AND SAN DIEGO. THIS STORM HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL
 
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
DO NOT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.|
 
STAY TUNED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION.

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 Mar 18, 9:41 AM CST, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 18, 9:41 AM CST, 4 hours 19 minutes before
COASTAL BEND FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
935 AM CST TUE MAR 18 1997

DISCUSSION...SFC ANALYSIS DEPICTS LOW PRESSURE WAVE NEAR TUL WITH
FRNTL SYSTEM XTNDG SWWD ALONG AN SPS-MAF AXIS ATTM WITH CAA
CONCENTRATED ACROSS THE PANHANDLE.  STREAMLINE ANALYSIS REVEALS A
TROF FROM LRD-COT-SAT WITH KCRP-88D REF DATA INDICATING SHRA/TSRA
ACTIVITY FROM N OF LRD-COT.

CURRENT FCST IS ON TRACK WITH NO AMENDMENTS ATTM.  S/W TO THE N WL BE
APCHG THE FA WED AFTN/EVE...HOWEVER POST FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT
ILLUSTRATES A DRY AIRMASS AS ADVERTISED IN THE WED FCST WITH DWPT
VALUES DECREASING INTO THE 30S.

BML...76

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:39 AM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes before
TXZ232-233-234-247-181945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1139 AM CST TUE MAR 18 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARDS VICTORIA COUNTY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM SKIDMORE TO BEEVILLE TO KARNES CITY.
THIS ACTIVITY IS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH AND
WILL MOVE INTO VICTORIA COUNTY BY 100 PM.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...
AND VERY HEAVY RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED FROM THE RAINFALL OF THE PAST
FEW DAYS...ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN VICTORIA COUNTY
AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:42 AM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
TXZ232-233-234-247-181945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1139 AM CST TUE MAR 18 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARDS VICTORIA COUNTY...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM SKIDMORE TO BEEVILLE TO KARNES CITY.
THIS ACTIVITY IS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH AND
WILL MOVE INTO VICTORIA COUNTY BY 100 PM.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...
AND VERY HEAVY RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED FROM THE RAINFALL OF THE PAST
FEW DAYS...ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN VICTORIA COUNTY
AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 18, 12:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPGoliad, Refugio69 min
Mar 18, 12:50 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPGoliad, Victoria3 hr
Mar 18, 1:44 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPCalhoun, Refugio, Victoria3 hr
Mar 18, 1:44 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPGoliad3 hr
Mar 18, 2:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPLive Oak61 min
Mar 18, 5:15 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPCalhoun, Refugio, Victoria4 hr
Mar 18, 5:15 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPGoliad4 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.