Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997
Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at May 24, 1997, 3:26 PM CDT for Harris County, Waller County, Texas. It was in force for 3 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 24, 1997, 3:26 PM CDT (20:26 UTC)
- Expired
- May 24, 1997, 6:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Harris County, TX, Waller County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:27 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
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 241 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
- 719 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -9 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 612 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 103 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 112 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 2.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 242028 FFWHOU TXC201-473-242330- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 326 PM CDT SAT MAY 24 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...HARRIS COUNTY...WALLER COUNTY AT 320 PM...RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS FROM LAKE HOUSTON TO DOWNTOWN HOUSTON WESTWARD ALONG I-10 TO BROOKSHIRE AND SEALY. SINCE NOON...THE HEAVIEST RAINS HAVE BEEN OVER NORTHERN HARRIS EXTENDING WEST INTO WALLER COUNTY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 5 INCHES. ADDITIONAL RAINS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY THROUGH 6 PM. FLOODING IS LIKELY ON SOME ROADWAYS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS FLOOD SITUATION. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DI\PS...OR UNDERPASSES. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 24, 2:45 PM CDT, 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 24, 2:45 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 245 PM CDT SAT MAY 24 1997 A LOT OF COVERAGE ON THE RADAR THIS AFTN. CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THAT 2ND S/W - WITH THE AMS OVER SE TX STILL VERY UNSTABLE/MOIST/WARM (ADAP LIs AOA -8/SFC DWPNTS IN THE LWR 70S). AFTER THE ACTIVITY THIS AFTN, THINGS SHOULD CALM DOWN A BIT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. UPPER FLOW GOES ZONAL TONITE AS THE MID-LEVELS BECOME A BIT MORE SWLY. WHILE AT THE SFC... MOST OF THE MOISTURE GETS SCOURED (BY WAY OF THE STORMS TODAY) WITH THE AMS REMAINING VERY UNSTABLE (LI PROGGED FOR TOMORROW: -6/-10 AND CAPES PROGGED AT 30-50K). AGAIN, NO MOISTURE TO WORK ON AND NO FOCI/TRIGGERS INDICATED BY THE MODELS THRU MONDAY (EXCEPT MAYBE THE SEABREEZE). SFC WINDS ALSO BECOME MORE SWLY THRU MON. SO, THE BOTTOM LINE FCST: DRYING AND WARMING. WILL TAKE A BLEND OF GUIDANCE NUMBERS. 41 PRELIMS... CLL T-E/E-B B/B 67/90 69/93 6222 (+R/SVR WX TONIGHT) IAH T-E/E-B B/B 70/90 73/92 6222 (+R/SVR WX TONIGHT) GLS T-E/E-B B/B 74/84 75/86 2222
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 24, 9:31 AM CDT, 5 hours 55 minutes before
TXZ199-200-210>214-226-227-235>238-242100- SEVERE WEATHER/HEAVY RAINFALL OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 935 AM CDT SAT MAY 24 1997 THERE IS A THREAT OF ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATER TODAY. THE THREAT WILL BE GREATEST DURING THE EARLY AND MID AFTERNOON HOURS AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL INTERACT WITH A WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE SOUTHEAST TEXAS AIRMASS TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH COULD BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. STORMS TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE RELATIVELY FAST MOVING...PRODUCING WIDESPREAD TOTALS OF 1/2 TO 1 INCH. HOWEVER...OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM STORMS EARLIER THIS MORNING COUPLED WITH AFTERNOON HEATING AND THE SEA BREEZE COULD PROVIDE THE FOCUS NEEDED FOR THE TRAINING OF STRONGER STORMS...PRODUCING ISOLATED TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IN SOME LOCATIONS. WITH MANY AREAS ALREADY SATURATED FROM PREVIOUS RAINS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD RESULT IN SUBSTANTIAL PONDING OF WATER ACROSS LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORIST SHOULD UZSE CAUTION TODAY AS FLOOD PRONE FRONTAGE ROADS AND UNDERPASSES MAY BECOME INUNDATED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, May 24, 9:35 AM CDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
TXZ199-200-210>214-226-227-235>238-242100- SEVERE WEATHER/HEAVY RAINFALL OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 935 AM CDT SAT MAY 24 1997 THERE IS A THREAT OF ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATER TODAY. THE THREAT WILL BE GREATEST DURING THE EARLY AND MID AFTERNOON HOURS AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL INTERACT WITH A WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE SOUTHEAST TEXAS AIRMASS TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH COULD BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. STORMS TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE RELATIVELY FAST MOVING...PRODUCING WIDESPREAD TOTALS OF 1/2 TO 1 INCH. HOWEVER...OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM STORMS EARLIER THIS MORNING COUPLED WITH AFTERNOON HEATING AND THE SEA BREEZE COULD PROVIDE THE FOCUS NEEDED FOR THE TRAINING OF STRONGER STORMS...PRODUCING ISOLATED TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES IN SOME LOCATIONS. WITH MANY AREAS ALREADY SATURATED FROM PREVIOUS RAINS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD RESULT IN SUBSTANTIAL PONDING OF WATER ACROSS LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORIST SHOULD USE CAUTION TODAY AS FLOOD PRONE FRONTAGE ROADS AND UNDERPASSES MAY BECOME INUNDATED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 3:08 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado | 3 hr |
| May 24, 3:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin | 29 min |
| May 24, 3:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado | 59 min |
| May 24, 3:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 64 min |
| May 24, 3:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty | 69 min |
| May 24, 4:39 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 66 min |
| May 24, 4:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 66 min |
| May 24, 6:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 3 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1997Every flash flood 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.