Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 224, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

October 7, 1997Bexar County, Medina County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Oct 7, 1997, 8:02 PM CDT for Bexar County, Medina County, Texas. It was in force for 3 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: Oct 7, 1997, 8:02 PM CDT (01:02 UTC)
Expired: Oct 7, 1997, 11:00 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area: Whole counties

Counties Bexar County, TX, Medina County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:04 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 196 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1292 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 886 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 58 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 080108
FFWSAT
TXC029-325-080400-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
802 PM CDT TUE OCT 7 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 11 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...WESTERN BEXAR COUNTY...EASTERN MEDINA COUNTY
 
AT 8 PM CDT...HEAVY RAIN HAS BEEN REPORTED IN WESTERN BEXAR
COUNTY AND EASTERN MEDINA COUNTY.  WELL OVER 5 INCHES OF RAIN
HAS FALLEN IN THIS AREA DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS.  NUMEROUS
HIGH-WATER RESCUES HAVE BEEN REPORTED.  5 FEET OF WATER WAS OVER
WHEELER ROAD...3 TO 4 FEET OF WATER WAS OVER JARRETT ROAD...AND
HIGH WATER WAS REPORTED OVER PEARSALL ROAD IN THE 12000 BLOCK.
 
LEON CREEK AND THE MEDINA RIVER WILL LIKELY HAVE SIGNIFICANT RISES
THIS EVENING IN RESPONSE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND RUNOFF.  PERSONS
IN AND NEAR THE COMMUNITIES OF VON ORMY...SOMERSET...LACOSTE...
LYTLE...NATALIA...DEVINE AND CASTROVILLE SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY
ALERT TO FLOODING.
 
IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT PORTIONS OF LOOP 1604...LO0P 410...
U.S. HIGHWAY 90 AND INTERSTATE 35 SOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO MAY BE
UNDER WATER.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED
ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
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.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT.  IT IS
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR
CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS.  CAMPERS AND OTHER
PEOPLE IN RECREATION AREAS ALONG CREEKS...STREAMS...AND RIVERS IN
THE WARNING AREA SHOULD MOVE TO HIFGH GROUND IMMEDIATELY.

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, Oct 7, 5:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-081100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
535 PM CDT TUE OCT 7 1997

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TONIGHT OR WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL COUNTRY.

DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE
HILL COUNTRY.  UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THIS
EVENING AND WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WILL PRODUCE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.  THE GREATEST CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION ARE GENERALLY
ALONG AND EAST OF A GEORGETOWN TO SAN ANTONIO TO CAMPBELLTON LINE
WHERE MAINLY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED.  WEST
OF THIS LINE THE AREAL COVERAGE WILL DECREASE TO ISOLATED ALONG THE
RIO GRANDE.

CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TEXAS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THIS EVENING.  THE GREATEST THREAT FOR HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL BE IN THE AUSTIN METROPOLITAN AREA AND EAST TO THE
LA GRANGE AND SOMERVILLE LAKE AREAS.  LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW WATER
CROSSINGS...STREAMS...HIGHWAY UNDERPASSES AND OTHER KNOWN FLOOD PRONE
AREAS IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING IN THIS AREA.

FOR THIS EVENING...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH WITH
ISOLATED TOTALS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE EAST OF A SAN ANTONIO TO
LLANO LINE.  OTHERWISE...WEST OF A SAN ANTONIO TO LLANO LINE FOR THIS
EVENING AND ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1/4 INCH OR LESS WITH
ISOLATED TOTALS NEAR AN INCH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV...CABLE TV AND LOCAL RADIO
FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

NEARBY HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS INCLUDE:
FOR SOUTHWEST TEXAS...FROM MIDLAND...LBBSPSMAF
FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY...FROM SAN ANGELO...LBBSPSSJT
FOR NORTH TEXAS...FROM FORT WORTH...FTWSPSFTW
FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...FROM HOUSTON/GALVESTON...SATSPSHOU
FOR COASTAL BEND/RIO GRANDE PLAINS...FROM CORPUS CHRISTI...SATSPSCRP.

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

Special weather statement, Oct 7, 5:37 PM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-081100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
535 PM CDT TUE OCT 7 1997

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TONIGHT OR WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL COUNTRY.

DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE
HILL COUNTRY.  UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THIS
EVENING AND WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WILL PRODUCE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.  THE GREATEST CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION ARE GENERALLY
ALONG AND EAST OF A GEORGETOWN TO SAN ANTONIO TO CAMPBELLTON LINE
WHERE MAINLY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED.  WEST
OF THIS LINE THE AREAL COVERAGE WILL DECREASE TO ISOLATED ALONG THE
RIO GRANDE.

CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TEXAS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THIS EVENING.  THE GREATEST THREAT FOR HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL BE IN THE AUSTIN METROPOLITAN AREA AND EAST TO THE
LA GRANGE AND SOMERVILLE LAKE AREAS.  LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW WATER
CROSSINGS...STREAMS...HIGHWAY UNDERPASSES AND OTHER KNOWN FLOOD PRONE
AREAS IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING IN THIS AREA.

FOR THIS EVENING...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH WITH
ISOLATED TOTALS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE EAST OF A SAN ANTONIO TO
LLANO LINE.  OTHERWISE...WEST OF A SAN ANTONIO TO LLANO LINE FOR THIS
EVENING AND ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY...RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1/4 INCH OR LESS WITH
ISOLATED TOTALS NEAR AN INCH.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV...CABLE TV AND LOCAL RADIO
FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

NEARBY HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS INCLUDE:
FOR SOUTHWEST TEXAS...FROM MIDLAND...LBBSPSMAF
FOR THE CONCHO VALLEY...FROM SAN ANGELO...LBBSPSSJT
FOR NORTH TEXAS...FROM FORT WORTH...FTWSPSFTW
FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS...FROM HOUSTON/GALVESTON...SATSPSHOU
FOR COASTAL BEND/RIO GRANDE PLAINS...FROM CORPUS CHRISTI...SATSPSCRP.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NORMALLY WILL BE UPDATED BY MEANS OF
THE ZONE FORECASTS...SHORT TERM FORECAST...WATCHES...WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES.  THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK ITSELF WILL BE UPDATED
ONLY IF UNEXPECTED HAZARDOUS WEATHER DEVELOPS OR IF EXPECTED
HAZ4ARDOUS WEATHER NO LONGER IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 7, 9:00 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	EWX	DeWitt, Lavaca	2 hr
Oct 7, 11:05 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	EWX	Gonzales	55 min
Oct 8, 3:27 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	EWX	DeWitt, Lavaca	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1997 Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.