Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

Issued

Mar 12, 1997, 8:00 AM CST (14:00 UTC)

Expired

Mar 12, 1997, 9:50 AM CST

In force

110 min

Issued by

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

Area

Whole counties

County Harris County, TX

The Houston radar (KHGX), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:48 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.

000 
TTAA00 KHOU 121401
FFWHOU
TXC201-121550-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
800 AM CST WED MAR 12 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 950 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

   ...SOUTHERN AND EASTERN HARRIS COUNTY
 
AT 755 AM RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING OVER MUCH OF SOUTH...CENTRAL AND EASTERN SECTIONS HARRIS
COUNTY WITH REPORTS OF RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR.
THESE STORM ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TRAINING OVER THIS AREA FOR AT
LEAST THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND THEREFORE CAUSING RAPID RISES IN
DRAINAGE DITCHES...CREEKS AND BAYOUS IN THE WARNED AREA.

3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE UPPER SIMS BAYOU WATERSHED
IN THE LAST 3 HOURS.  THIS HAS PRODUCED A RAPID RISE ALONG THE BAYOU
THIS MORNING.  THE BAYOU LEVEL AT HIRAM-CLARK STREET WAS 51.2 FEET.
BANKFULL LEVEL IS 53 FEET.  A RISE ABOVE BANKFULL IS EXPECTED WITHIN
THE NEXT 2 HOURS.  THE LOWEST SLAB ELEVATION IN THIS AREA IS 52.7
FEET ON DALMATION STEET.  THE LEVEL AT MLK WAS 27.6 FEET.  BANKFULL
LEVEL IS 37 FEET.  A RISE ABOVE BANKFULL IS EXPECTED BY THIS
AFTERNOON.  THE LOWEST SLAB ELEVATION IN THIS AREA IS 27.3 FEET ON
WATERFORD STREET 50 FEET UPSTREAM FROM THE GAGE.  PERSONS ALONG SIMS
BAYOU SHOULD KEEP ALERT TO RAPIDLY RISING WATER AND TAKE ALL
NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

&

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Mar 12, 2:14 AM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes earlier.

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
212 AM CST WED MAR 12 1997

UPR LVL LOW OVR SW TX WILL OPEN UP AND MV ACRS THE FA TDY.  MDLS SHOW
ASSOCIATED VORT MX'S TRACKING SLWLY UP FM S CNTRL TX AND ACRS FA
THRU-OUT THE DAY BEFORE MVG INTO W LA SOMETIME AFTER MDNGT TNGT.  A
POCKET OF COLD AIR WRAPPED ARND THE LOW COUPLED WITH WAA AT THE SFC
WILL ADD TO AREA INSTABILITY AND THE CONTINUED STRENGTHENING AND
REDEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS THRU-OUT TDY...ESPECIALLY DURING
THE AFTN HRS.  ALSO ADDING TO OUR PROBLEMS IS A SFC LOW THAT MVS UP
FM BRO AND TRACKS ACRS THE FA ON ITS WAY TO NE TX BY EARLY THU MRNG.
THE SFC TROFING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW WILL HELP PROVIDE FOCUS FOR
REDEVELOPING STORMS AS WELL AS ASSIST THE CONTINUED TAP OF GULF
MOISTURE AS PW'S ARE EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE 2 INCH MARK BY THIS
AFTN.  CRNTLY...A STRNG IMPULSE CONTS TO PUSH A LINE OF SLOW MVG
SHOWERS & TSTMS INTO THE WRN SECTIONS OF FA.  THIS WILL CONT TO MV
THRU THIS MRNG AND ADD TO AN ALREADY SATURATED SE TX. WITH ADDITIONAL
TSTMS EXPECTED TO MV UP FM BRO LATER TDY...AM EXPECTING WIDESPREAD
RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF ARND 5
INCHES OR MORE PSBL BEFORE MDNGT.  HAVE PLACED ALL OF SE TX UNDER A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU TDY AS EXPECTED RAINFALL TOTALS EXCEED FFG FOR
MOST AREAS AND SOME RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES (SUCH AS THE TRININTY) ARE
ALREADY NEAR OR EXCEED THIER FLOOD STAGE.  RAINS SHUD END BY ARND
MDNGT OR SHRTLY AFTR AS SYSTEM MVS OFF TO NE.  WILL GET A SHRT BREAK
BEFORE NXT SYSTEM DRAGS CF INTO AREA ON SAT.  PRELIMS NXT.  39

CLL T/C/E 66/62/72 +84
IAH T/C/E 67/63/74 +84
GLS T/C/E 66/65/70 +84

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.