Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

April 3, 1997Medina County, Zavala County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1997, 9:18 PM CST for Medina County, Zavala County, Texas. It was in force for 57 min. 2 reports 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
Apr 3, 1997, 9:18 PM CST (03:18 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1997, 10:15 PM CST
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Medina County, TX, Zavala County, TX

The radar

The Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:17 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
Apr 3, 9:25 PM CSTThunderstorm WindHondo, TX
Apr 3, 9:30 PM CSTHail 0.75Hondo, 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

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 139 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

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 040319 RRA
SVRSAT
TXC325-507-040415-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
918 PM CST THU APR 3 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...MEDINA COUNTY...NORTHERN ZAVALA COUNTY
 
DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT
OVER 50 MPH AND LARGE HAIL MOVING TOWARD TO CITIES OF
BATESVILLE IN ZAVALA COUNTY AND HONDO IN MEDINA COUNTY AT 40 MPH.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS CAN REACH SPEEDS OVER 60 MPH.  THESE WINDS
BLOW DOWN TREES...POWER LINES...AND SEVERELY DAMAGE MOBILE HOMES...
SOMETIMES BUILDINGS.  VERY LARGE HAIL CAN INJURE ANYONE CAUGHT
OUTSIDE.
 
PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY
OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY
H(EAVY RAIN CAN ALSO OCCUR WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...FLOODING SMALL
STREAMS...LOW AREAS...AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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, 8:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDimmit42 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.