Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 20, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

April 3, 1997Dimmit County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1997, 8:33 PM CST for Dimmit County, Texas. It was in force for 42 min. 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 3, 1997, 8:33 PM CST (02:33 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1997, 9:15 PM CST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Dimmit County, TX

The radar

The Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:32 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, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 149 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 252 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 268 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
252 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
496 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
314 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.8

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 5:59 PM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-041200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
600 PM CST THU APR 3 1997

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

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

AN INTENSE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM CENTERED OVER NORTHERN BAJA
CALIFORNIA IS BEGINNING TO MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
WIND PATTERNS CONTINUE TO PUMP UNUSUALLY HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS FROM
THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN INTO TEXAS.

A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM WILL
INTERACT WITH THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS TO CONTINUE WIDESPREAD
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS.  RAINFALL TOTALS WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED
TOTALS APPROACHING 5 INCHES TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM WILL PICK UP SPEED ON FRIDAY AND BE LOCATED
JUST WEST OF THE BIG BEND BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.  THE AIRMASS IS
EXPECTED TO BECOME EXTREMELY UNSTABLE BY THAT TIME.  AS A RESULT...
A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN ADDITION TO THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

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

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 3, 6:00 PM CST, 2 hours 33 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-041200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
600 PM CST THU APR 3 1997

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

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

AN INTENSE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM CENTERED OVER NORTHERN BAJA
CALIFORNIA IS BEGINNING TO MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
WIND PATTERNS CONTINUE TO PUMP UNUSUALLY HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS FROM
THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN INTO TEXAS.

A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM WILL
INTERACT WITH THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS TO CONTINUE WIDESPREAD
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS.  RAINFALL TOTALS WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED
TOTALS APPROACHING 5 INCHES TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM WILL PICK UP SPEED ON FRIDAY AND BE LOCATED
JUST WEST OF THE BIG BEND BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.  THE AIRMASS IS
EXPECTED TO BECOME EXTREMELY UNSTABLE BY THAT TIME.  AS A RESULT...
A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN ADDITION TO THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

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

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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 8:33 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXDimmit42 min
Apr 3, 9:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMedina, Zavala57 min
Apr 3, 10:36 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXGillespie69 min
Apr 3, 10:47 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXKerr58 min
Apr 3, 11:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar65 min
Apr 3, 11:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXComal58 min
Apr 3, 11:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays65 min
Apr 4, 12:25 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXWilliamson65 min
Apr 4, 12:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson65 min
Apr 4, 12:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXHays62 min
Apr 4, 1:17 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXDeWitt, Lavaca3 hr
Apr 4, 1:34 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXTravis, Williamson116 min
Apr 4, 5:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXLavaca3 hr
Apr 4, 6:23 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXTravis, Williamson3 hr
Apr 4, 6:31 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBlanco3 hr
Apr 4, 6:43 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXKendall3 hr
Apr 4, 9:24 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXTravis, Williamson3 hr
Apr 4, 10:12 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXDeWitt2 hr
Apr 4, 11:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde60 min
Apr 4, 2:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXUvalde56 min
Apr 4, 2:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXReal65 min
Apr 4, 3:00 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXReal2 hr
Apr 4, 3:25 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBandera65 min
Apr 4, 3:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera65 min
Apr 4, 3:32 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXUvalde58 min
Apr 4, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXUvalde58 min
Apr 4, 3:53 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXKerr2 hr
Apr 4, 4:24 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBandera2 hr
Apr 4, 4:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMedina56 min
Apr 4, 5:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar, Kendall79 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.