Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997
Flash Flood Warning 84, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Nov 28, 1997, 2:19 PM CST for Harris 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
- Nov 28, 1997, 2:19 PM CST (20:19 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 28, 1997, 5:15 PM CST
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Harris County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:21 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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 213 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
- 49 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -211 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 586 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 245 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 233 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 282022 FFWHOU TXC201-282315- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 219 PM CST FRI NOV 28 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...HARRIS COUNTY AT 225 PM...DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SLOW MOVING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM THE WOODLANDS TO KATY. RAINFALL RATES IN THIS LINE HAVE AVERAGED BETWEEN 1 TO 2 INCHES AND ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. INDIVIDUAL STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH WHILE THIS LINE CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. RAIN WILL DEVELOP OVER THE REMAINING PORTION OF HARRIS COUNTY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCUMULATE IN THAT AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. FLOODING OF STREETS IN THE WILLOWBROOK AREA HAVE BEEN REPORTED. 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. MOST DEATHS IN FLAJSH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR UNDERPASSES IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.
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 28, 9:30 AM CST, 4 hours 49 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 28, 9:30 AM CST, 4 hours 49 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 930 AM CST FRI NOV 28 1997 DEVELOPMENT OF CONVECTION AHEAD OF FRONT CONTINUES PRETTY MUCH AS HAS BEEN ANTICIPATED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. SINCE THE LINE IS SO SOLID AND WE ARE GETTING CLUSTERS OF STORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE... WILL WANT TO BRING POPS UP TO 80 PERCENT THIS AFTERNOON FOR ENTIRE FA. SVR WX-WISE... HGX VWP IS SHOWING CONSIDERABLE E COMPONENT IN LOWER 2K FT OF WINDS... SO MAY HAVE SOME LOW ROTATORS AS CONVECTION SPINS UP AHEAD OF MAIN LINE (NOTE THAT DANGEROUS-LOOKING CRP HODO IN SHARP HAS HELICITY APCHG 500). ADDITIONALLY... STILL ANTICIPATING CAPES CLIMBING TO AROUND 2000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON... SO DESPITE WIMPY LOOKING STORMS IN CNTRL TX LINE AT THE MOMENT... EXPECT THEY WILL BE GETTING A LITTLE FRISKIER AS SYSTEM PROGRESSES EWD INTO THE SE TX SWAMPS OTHER MINOR DIFFERENCES IN MODEL DATA FROM LAST NIGHTS RUN ARE A MINOR SLOW DOWN OF THE UPPER LOW AND CONSEQUENTLY A CLOUDIER DAY SAT THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. CURRENT FORECAST HAS PICKED UP THESE TRENDS... SO ONLY BIG CHANGE REQUEST AT THIS TIME WILL BE TO POPS. PRELIMS... CLL E/E/B 75/52/67 851 (FOR 2ND PD...MNLY EVE SHRA/TSRA) IAH E/E/B 76/56/69 861 (FOR 2ND PD...MNLY EVE SHRA/TSRA) GLS E/E/E 75/62/71 861 38
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Nov 28, 10:28 AM CST, 3 hours 51 minutes before
TXZ176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-511-513-281800- SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1030 AM CST FRI NOV 28 1997 ...THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY AND TONIGHT... A PACIFIC COOL FRONT ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO VERY WARM...MOIST...AND UNSTABLE AIR OVER EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY PROVIDING A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. ADDITIONALLY... THE SLOW EASTWARD SPEED OF THIS SYSTEM MAY RESULT IN CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS OVERRUNNING A FEW AREAS REPEATEDLY... PRODUCING ISOLATED LOCAL RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES. THE PRIMARY THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS FROM A CONCENTRATED LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. HOWEVER...ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY IN ISOLATED STORMS WHICH MAY FORM IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS. AT 10 AM THIS MORNING... A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED AHEAD OF THE FRONT FROM NEAR AUSTIN TO NEAR DALLAS. CLUSTERS OF STORMS HAD ALSO BEGUN TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS LINE FROM EDNA TO COLLEGE STATION. ALTHOUGH NONE OF THESE STORMS HAD DISPLAYED SEVERE CHARACTERISTICS OF 10 AM... THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST TODAY. PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND MARINERS ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST INCLUDING GALVESTON AND MATAGORDA BAYS SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTERS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTIVATION.
Special weather statement, Nov 28, 10:30 AM CST, 3 hours 49 minutes before
TXZ176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-511-513-281800- SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1030 AM CST FRI NOV 28 1997 ...THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY AND TONIGHT... A PACIFIC COOL FRONT ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO VERY WARM...MOIST...AND UNSTABLE AIR OVER EAST AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY PROVIDING A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. ADDITIONALLY... THE SLOW EASTWARD SPEED OF THIS SYSTEM MAY RESULT IN CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS OVERRUNNING A FEW AREAS REPEATEDLY... PRODUCING ISOLATED LOCAL RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES. THE PRIMARY THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS FROM A CONCENTRATED LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. HOWEVER...ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY IN ISOLATED STORMS WHICH MAY FORM IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS. AT 10 AM THIS MORNING... A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED AHEAD OF THE FRONT FROM NEAR AUSTIN TO NEAR DALLAS. CLUSTERS OF STORMS HAD ALSO BEGUN TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS LINE FROM EDNA TO COLLEGE STATION. ALTHOUGH NONE OF THESE STORMS HAD DISPLAYED SEVERE CHARACTERISTICS OF 10 AM... THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST TODAY. PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND MARINERS ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST INCLUDING GALVESTON AND MATAGORDA BAYS SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTERS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTIVATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28, 1:59 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Montgomery, San Jacinto | 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.