Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 40, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 30, 1997McLennan County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at May 30, 1997, 5:20 PM CDT for McLennan County, Texas. It was in force for 40 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
May 30, 1997, 5:20 PM CDT (22:20 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 1997, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County McLennan County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 30, 5:30 PM CDTThunderstorm WindMc Gregor, TXTrees were blown down by strong winds.
May 30, 5:45 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Moody, TXStrong winds damaged an outbuilding and uprooted small trees.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 30, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 341 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 1997-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 925 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 1997-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 18 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
925 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
562 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 302220 RRA
TORFTW
TXC309-302300-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
520 PM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...MCLENNAN COUNTY
 
STORM SPOTTERS REPORT A POSSIBLE TORNODO BEWTEEN CRAWFORD AND MCGREGOR
MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
 
 
 
&

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 30, 11:50 AM CDT, 5 hours 30 minutes before
TXZ091>095-098>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-310000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1150 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF NORTH
TEXAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND FOR MAINLY SOUTHEAST PARTS THIS EVENING.
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

THE AIRMASS OVER NORTH TEXAS REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE.  A COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE RISK AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH FURTHER
DESTABILIZATION LIKELY DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING.  RE-DEVELOPMENT OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING FROM
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS.  HOWEVER...GIVEN THE AMOUNT
OF SHEAR IN THE LOWEST PORTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE ISOLATED TORNADOES
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT INTO THE
SOUTHEAST SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS THIS EVENING.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES NORTH OF A COMANCHE...TO CANTON LINE
MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED AFTER 1230 PM. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE
NECESSARY SOUTH OF THIS LINE AFTER 300 PM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER
FOR LATER STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

76
Special weather statement, May 30, 11:51 AM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
TXZ091>095-098>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-310000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1150 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF NORTH
TEXAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND FOR MAINLY SOUTHEAST PARTS THIS EVENING.
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

THE AIRMASS OVER NORTH TEXAS REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE.  A COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE RISK AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH FURTHER
DESTABILIZATION LIKELY DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING.  RE-DEVELOPMENT OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING FROM
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS.  HOWEVER...GIVEN THE AMOUNT
OF SHEAR IN THE LOWEST PORTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE ISOLATED TORNADOES
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT INTO THE
SOUTHEAST SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS THIS EVENING.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES NORTH OF A COMANCHE...TO CANTON LINE
MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED AFTER 1230 PM. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE
NECESSARY SOUTH OF THIS LINE AFTER 300 PM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER
FOR LATER STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

76

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 5:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDJack2 hr
May 30, 5:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDMontague60 min
May 30, 5:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWise2 hr
May 30, 6:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDParker62 min
May 30, 7:15 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDParker30 min
May 30, 7:18 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDParker27 min
May 30, 7:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDTarrant69 min
May 30, 7:56 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDParker, Tarrant, Wise2 hr
May 30, 8:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDParker60 min
May 30, 8:30 AM CDTTornado WarningFWDParker15 min
May 30, 8:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHood, Johnson, Tarrant63 min
May 30, 8:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDParker32 min
May 30, 9:57 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDParker, Tarrant2 hr
May 30, 10:52 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDParker, Tarrant68 min
May 30, 1:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCooke51 min
May 30, 2:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton67 min
May 30, 2:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDJack65 min
May 30, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBosque65 min
May 30, 4:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDPalo Pinto61 min
May 30, 4:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCoryell, McLennan70 min
May 30, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell, Falls60 min
May 30, 5:32 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDCoryell43 min
May 30, 5:57 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDBell48 min
May 30, 6:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHunt43 min
May 30, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDRains, Van Zandt55 min
May 30, 6:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell64 min
May 30, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKaufman, Rockwall68 min
May 30, 6:56 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDBell34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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.