Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 83, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 1997, 8:33 PM CDT for Gillespie County, Texas. It was in force for 57 min. 1 report 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
- May 19, 1997, 8:33 PM CDT (01:33 UTC)
- Expired
- May 19, 1997, 9:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 57 min
- Issued by
- NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Gillespie County, TX
The radar
The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:33 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 9:00 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Fredericksburg, TX | Tree damage reported by the Sheriff's Department in downtown Fredericksburg. |
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, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 211 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 3137 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -39 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1330 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 39 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 54 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 3.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
231 WUUS1 KSAT 200135 RRA SVRSAT TXC171-200230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX 833 PM CDT MON MAY 19 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ...GILLESPIE COUNTY AT 830 PM CDT DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTH OF FREDERICKSBURG. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AND WILL BE IN FREDERICKSBURG WITHIN THE HALF HOUR. 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, 2 hours 45 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, 2 hours 33 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 7:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Maverick | 62 min |
| May 19, 8:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Kerr | 45 min |
| May 19, 8:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Dimmit, Zavala | 55 min |
| May 19, 8:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Kinney | 59 min |
| May 19, 8:57 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EWX | Maverick | 2 hr |
| May 19, 9:11 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EWX | Gillespie, Kerr | 3 hr |
| May 19, 9:38 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EWX | Bandera | 2 hr |
| May 19, 10:04 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EWX | Blanco, Kendall | 116 min |
| May 19, 10:33 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EWX | Medina, Uvalde | 3 hr |
| May 19, 11:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EWX | Frio | 55 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.