Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 78, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 19, 1997Val Verde County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 1997, 6:54 PM CDT for Val Verde 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 19, 1997, 6:54 PM CDT (23:54 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 1997, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Val Verde County, TX

The radar

The Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:58 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 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 66 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 12:00Z on 1997-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2184 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 12:00Z on 1997-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 120 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2184 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-175 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
762 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
134 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 192354 RRA
SVRSAT
TXC465-200200-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
654 PM CDT MON MAY 19 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...VAL VERDE COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED SOUTH OF JUNO NEAR THE INTERSECTION
OF THE DEVILS RIVER AND HIGHWAY 163. THIS STORM LIKELY CONTAINS LARGE
HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS. THIS STORM WAS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL LIKEY PASS NEAR EASTERN AMISTAD LAKE
DURING THE NEXT 30 MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.
 
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
HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO OCCUR WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...FLOODING SMALL
STREAMS...LOW AREAS...AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
IF YOU SEE SEVERE WEATHER TAKING PLACE...CALL YOUR REPORT TO
THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR IMMEDIATE RELAY TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

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, May 19, 5:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-201100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
600 PM CDT MON MAY 19 1997

...FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT ACROSS THE HILL
COUNTRY AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

THE FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A
LINE FROM DEL RIO TO HONDO TO FLORESVILLE TO GIDDINGS.  THE WATCH
INCLUDES THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF AUSTIN...DEL RIO AND SAN ANTONIO.

CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING HIGHLY FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS IN PLACE OVER
THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  MEANWHILE...A STRONG COLD
FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ARE APPROACHING THE AREA.  AT
5 PM...THE FRONT WAS LOCATED FROM JUST NORTH OF THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH
METROPLEX TO NEAR THE BIG BEND AREA WHILE THE DISTURBANCE WAS OVER
WEST TEXAS.

THE FRONT AND DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE THROUGH MUCH OF THE AREA TONIGHT
AND COMBINE TO GENERATE NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.  ALREADY...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS
ENTERING THE EDWARDS PLATEAU AND FAR NORTHERN HILL COUNTRY.  THE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE
HILL COUNTRY THIS EVENING AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY MIDNIGHT.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE FRONT WILL SLOW DOWN AS IT MOVES THROUGH
PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND COULD EVEN STALL LATE TONIGHT
INTO TUESDAY MORNING.  THE STORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING AND WILL AT
TIMES MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL.

CONDITIONS WILL BE MOST FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT
ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU.  SOME STORMS
MAY CONTAIN LARGE HAIL AND/OR DAMAGING WINDS.

AVERAGE RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 1 TO 2 INCH RANGE CAN BE EXPECTED
WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE WHERE
STORMS MERGE OR REDEVELOP ACROSS A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL NORMALLY BE UPDATED BY MEANS OF
THE ZONE FORECAST...SHORT TERM FORECAST...WATCHES...WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES.  THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK ITSELF WILL BE UPDATED
ONLY IF UNFORECAST HAZARDOUS WEATHER DEVELOPS OR IF FORECAST
HAZARDOU,S WEATHER IS NO LONGER EXPECTED.
Special weather statement, May 19, 6:00 PM CDT, 54 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-201100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
600 PM CDT MON MAY 19 1997

...FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT ACROSS THE HILL
COUNTRY AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

THE FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A
LINE FROM DEL RIO TO HONDO TO FLORESVILLE TO GIDDINGS.  THE WATCH
INCLUDES THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF AUSTIN...DEL RIO AND SAN ANTONIO.

CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING HIGHLY FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS IN PLACE OVER
THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  MEANWHILE...A STRONG COLD
FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ARE APPROACHING THE AREA.  AT
5 PM...THE FRONT WAS LOCATED FROM JUST NORTH OF THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH
METROPLEX TO NEAR THE BIG BEND AREA WHILE THE DISTURBANCE WAS OVER
WEST TEXAS.

THE FRONT AND DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE THROUGH MUCH OF THE AREA TONIGHT
AND COMBINE TO GENERATE NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.  ALREADY...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS
ENTERING THE EDWARDS PLATEAU AND FAR NORTHERN HILL COUNTRY.  THE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE
HILL COUNTRY THIS EVENING AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY MIDNIGHT.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE FRONT WILL SLOW DOWN AS IT MOVES THROUGH
PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND COULD EVEN STALL LATE TONIGHT
INTO TUESDAY MORNING.  THE STORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING AND WILL AT
TIMES MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL.

CONDITIONS WILL BE MOST FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT
ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU.  SOME STORMS
MAY CONTAIN LARGE HAIL AND/OR DAMAGING WINDS.

AVERAGE RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 1 TO 2 INCH RANGE CAN BE EXPECTED
WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE WHERE
STORMS MERGE OR REDEVELOP ACROSS A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde2 hr

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.