Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 55, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 15, 1997Lavaca County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at May 15, 1997, 11:24 PM CDT for Lavaca 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
May 15, 1997, 11:24 PM CDT (04:24 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1997, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Lavaca County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:29 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 188 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 00:00Z on 1997-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3057 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 00:00Z on 1997-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -35 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
3057 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
900 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.3
Supercell composite
-1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 160425
FFWSAT
TXC285-160630-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1124 PM CDT THU MAY 15 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...LAVACA COUNTY
 
AT 11 20 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
WITH RAINFALL RATES OF 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR MOVING SLOWLY
SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS WESTERN LAVACA COUNTY. THESE INTENSE STORMS WILL
RESULT IN RAPID RUNOFF AND RESULTANT FLOODING OF LOW LYING OR FLOOD
PRONE AREAS AS THEY MOVE ACROSS LAVACA COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR
SO.
 
 
 
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 OCCURRING OR IMMINENT.
MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY
TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT TO ESCAPE
RISING WATER DUR(ING THREATENING RAINS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet62 min
May 15, 7:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays58 min
May 15, 7:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKarnes67 min
May 15, 8:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe55 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.