Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

April 2, 1997Karnes County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Apr 2, 1997, 11:42 AM CST for Karnes County, Texas. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 2, 1997, 11:42 AM CST (17:42 UTC)
Expired
Apr 2, 1997, 1:45 PM CST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Karnes County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 140 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 1997-04-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1013 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1997-04-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 142 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1013 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
496 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
142 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
4.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 021744
FFWSAT
TXC255-021945-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1142 AM CST WED APR 2 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  145 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...KARNES COUNTY
 
AT 1140 AM RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
EXTENDING FROM NEAR KARNES CITY TO HELENA. THIS BAND WAS PART OF A
LARGER BAND EXTENDING FROM VICTORIA TO JUST SOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO.
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. OTHER SMALL BANDS ARE FORMING TO THE
SOUTH OF KARNES COUNTY WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGH OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.
RAINFALL RATES OF ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THESE STORMS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV AND RADIO AND
...CABLE TV FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
 
AVOID ALREADY FLOODED AREAS.  TRAVELERS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS FLOODED ROADS.  IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS...LEAVE IT AND MOVE
IMMEDIATELY TO HIGHER GROUND IF YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.
 
FLOOD PRONE URBAN AREAS FILL WITH WATER QUICKLY.  CLOGGED STORM
DRAINS MAY CAUSE OTHER AREAS TO FLOOD.  DO NOT DRIVE THROUfGH
FLOOD WATERS AND STAY AWAY FROM STORM DRAINS.

What forecasters said that day

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 2, 5:45 AM CST, 5 hours 57 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-030000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
545 AM CST WED APR 2 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY.

THE WATCH AREA LIES ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM EAGLE PASS TO
CARRIZO SPRINGS... PEARSALL... JOURDANTON... KARNES CITY... CUERO...
AND HALLETTSVILLE INCLUDING THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF AUSTIN... SAN
ANTONIO... DEL RIO... AND KERRVILLE.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY
RAIN... FLASH FLOODING... AND RIVER FLOODING IN OR NEAR THE WATCH
AREA.

A POWERFUL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE HAS ORGANIZED OVER SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.  SOUTH TEXAS HAS BECOME UNUSUALLY RICH IN MOISTURE FROM
THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN AHEAD OF THIS STORM.  AS
THIS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES SLOWLY EASTWARD TOWARD TEXAS THIS
AFTERNOON... THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AND
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL DEVELOP.

THE HEAVY RAIN WILL MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD TONIGHT PRODUCING 2 TO 4
INCHES OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OVER 5 INCHES.

AREAS WET FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINS ARE AT PRIME RISK OF FLOODING IF
HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPS.

MOTORISTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY IF THUNDERSTORMS
AND VERY HEAVY RAIN DEVELOP.  FLOODING IS LIKELY LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT.  RAPID RISES AND FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE NEAR LOW WATER
CROSSINGS.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NORMALLY WILL BE UPDATED BY MEANS OF
THE ZONE FORECASTS...SHORT TERM FORECASTS...WATCHES...WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES.  THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK ITSELF WILL BE UPDATED
ONLY IF UNFORECAST HAZARDOUS WEATHER DEVELOPS OR IF FORECAST
HAZARDOUS WEATHER NO LONGER IS EXPECTED.
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 5:47 AM CST, 5 hours 55 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-030000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
545 AM CST WED APR 2 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY.

THE WATCH AREA LIES ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM EAGLE PASS TO
CARRIZO SPRINGS... PEARSALL... JOURDANTON... KARNES CITY... CUERO...
AND HALLETTSVILLE INCLUDING THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF AUSTIN... SAN
ANTONIO... DEL RIO... AND KERRVILLE.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY
RAIN... FLASH FLOODING... AND RIVER FLOODING IN OR NEAR THE WATCH
AREA.

A POWERFUL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE HAS ORGANIZED OVER SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.  SOUTH TEXAS HAS BECOME UNUSUALLY RICH IN MOISTURE FROM
THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN AHEAD OF THIS STORM.  AS
THIS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES SLOWLY EASTWARD TOWARD TEXAS THIS
AFTERNOON... THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AND
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL DEVELOP.

THE HEAVY RAIN WILL MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD TONIGHT PRODUCING 2 TO 4
INCHES OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OVER 5 INCHES.

AREAS WET FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINS ARE AT PRIME RISK OF FLOODING IF
HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPS.

MOTORISTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY IF THUNDERSTORMS
AND VERY HEAVY RAIN DEVELOP.  FLOODING IS LIKELY LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT.  RAPID RISES AND FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE NEAR LOW WATER
CROSSINGS.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NORMALLY WILL BE UPDATED BY MEANS OF
THE ZONE FORECASTS...SHORT TERM FORECASTS...WATCHES...WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES.  THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK ITSELF WILL BE UPDATED
ONLY IF UNFORECAST H&AZARDOUS WEATHER DEVELOPS OR IF FORECAST
HAZARDOUS WEATHER NO LONGER IS EXPECTED.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 2, 12:40 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXDeWitt3 hr
Apr 2, 1:59 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXAtascosa, Karnes3 hr
Apr 2, 1:59 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXMedina3 hr
Apr 2, 5:31 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXUvalde119 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1997Every flash flood 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.