Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997
Flash Flood Warning 82, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Nov 5, 1997, 8:31 AM CST for Houston County, Trinity County, Texas. It was in force for 119 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 5, 1997, 8:31 AM CST (14:31 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 5, 1997, 10:30 AM CST
- In force
- 119 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Houston County, TX, Trinity County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 193 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:32 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
Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 202 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
- 85 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -182 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 621 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 466 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 616 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 8.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 051435 FFWHOU TXC455-225-051630- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 831 AM CST WED NOV 5 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTHEAST TEXAS ...TRINITY COUNTY ...HOUSTON COUNTY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO TRAIN ACROSS TRINITY AND HOUSTON COUNTIES THIS MORNING...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 7. THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR. RADAR ESTIMATED 6 TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN IN HOUSTON COUNTY THIS MORNING WITH SOME STREET FLOODING REPORTED IN CROCKETT. FOR TRINITY COUNTY...RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL TOTALS IN THE 2 TO 3 INCH RANGE SO FAR THIS MORNING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING. THIS IS A DANGEROUS FLOOD SITUATION. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...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 Nov 5, 2:25 AM CST, 6 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 5, 2:25 AM CST, 6 hours 6 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 225 AM CST WED NOV 5 1997 WAA SHRA/TSRA BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD THIS MORNING AS AMS OVER SE TX CONTINUES TO MOISTEN AND DESTABILIZE. A COUPLE OF STRONG STORMS HAVE PERSISTED ALONG THE COAST AND LATEST VAD WIND PROFILE INDICATING VERY GOOD INFLOWS (45KT WINDS FROM 2-4KFT). PWs PROGGED TO 1.3-1.5 LATER THIS MORNING AS ROBUST S/W ENERGY RIDES DOWN THE NWLY FLOW ALOFT INTO THE AREA JUST AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT. CROSS-SECTIONS STILL IN- DICATING VERY IMPRESSIVE LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEADING SYSTEM...AS WELL AS SOME DECENT WIND SHEAR WITH HEIGHT THRU THIS AFTN. UPPER JET PATTERN ALSO REMAINS FAVORABLE, AND SHOULD FURTHER ENHANCE CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. ONLY CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS RUNS WOULD THEN BE THAT PROGS HAVE SLOWED THINGS A BIT AND ARE NOW GOING WITH A MID TO LATE MORNING START TO THE FIREWORKS. AS A RESULT, WILL PUSH FROPA TIMES 2-3 HOURS BACK IN THE NEXT SET OF TAFS/ROOUND OF STATEMENTS. WILL CONTINUE THE MENTION OF SEVERE FOR THE 1ST PD. WILL TAKE A BLEND OF GUIDANCE NUM- BERS FOR FINAL TALLY ON TEMPS. 41 PRELIMS... CLL C>B/V U/V 74/46 72/40 6000 (SVR TDY/CLRING AFTN) IAH C>B/V U/V 77/48 70/41 6000 (SVR TDY/CLRING LATE AFTN) GLS C>B/V U/V 76/56 70/52 6000 (SVR TDY/CLRING LATE AFTN)
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Nov 5, 7:00 AM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes before
TXZ163-179-164-051800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 700 AM CST WED NOV 5 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHERN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: HOUSTON...TRINITY... AND POLK COUNTIES. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN TEXAS AND WILL APPROACH SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS IMPULSE. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS. STORMS EARLIER THIS MORNING PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN HOUSTON COUNTY. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD KEEP ALERT OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH YOUR AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Nov 5, 7:04 AM CST, 1 hour 27 minutes before
TXZ163-179-164-051800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 700 AM CST WED NOV 5 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHERN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: HOUSTON...TRINITY... AND POLK COUNTIES. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN TEXAS AND WILL APPROACH SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS MORNING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS IMPULSE. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS. STORMS EARLIER THIS MORNING PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN HOUSTON COUNTY. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD KEEP ALERT OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH YOUR AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 6:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 60 min |
| Nov 4, 6:36 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 54 min |
| Nov 4, 10:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 64 min |
| Nov 4, 11:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Matagorda | 59 min |
| Nov 4, 11:34 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 41 min |
| Nov 5, 12:10 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 35 min |
| Nov 5, 2:16 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 59 min |
| Nov 5, 3:25 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 65 min |
| Nov 5, 3:59 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Galveston | 61 min |
| Nov 5, 4:06 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 69 min |
| Nov 5, 4:30 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 60 min |
| Nov 5, 4:35 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 55 min |
| Nov 5, 5:21 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 54 min |
| Nov 5, 5:31 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 59 min |
| Nov 5, 6:00 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 60 min |
| Nov 5, 7:02 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 58 min |
| Nov 5, 7:26 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Houston | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 7:26 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Trinity | 64 min |
| Nov 5, 8:05 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 55 min |
| Nov 5, 8:47 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Trinity | 58 min |
| Nov 5, 8:52 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 68 min |
| Nov 5, 10:38 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Liberty | 37 min |
| Nov 5, 2:55 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 50 min |
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.