Flash Flood Warning 85, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

Issued

Dec 7, 1997, 8:40 PM CST (02:40 UTC)

Expired

Dec 7, 1997, 10:45 PM CST

In force

2 hr

Issued by

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

Area

Whole counties

County Chambers County, TX

The Houston radar (KHGX), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:41 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 080243
FFWHOU
TXC071-080445-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
840 PM CST SUN DEC 7 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
 
   ...CHAMBERS COUNTY
 
AT 835 PM...TWO CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER GALVESTON AND HARRIS
COUNTIES WILL BE MOVING EAST AND WILL MERGE OVER CHAMBERS COUNTY
PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES
IN ONE HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED. THIS RAPID RAINFALL RATE WILL QUICKLY
OVERWHELM DRAINAGE SYSTEMS PRODUCING PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND
MAY FLOOD LOW-WATER CROSSING IN JUST MINUTES.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH 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.
 
D"O 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.

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Dec 7, 2:10 PM CST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED 1ST PERIOD POPS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
210 PM CST SUN DEC 7 1997

MOSTLY -RA HAS FALLEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS SO FAR THIS
AFTERNOON AS PRECIP PATCHES HAVE BEEN MOVING RAPIDLY OFF TO THE NE
AROUND 25 KNOTS.  SHORTWAVE PRESENTLY RACING THROUGH SOUTHERN NEW
MEXICO TOWARD WEST TEXAS.  AREA SURFACE PRESSURES CONTINUE TO FALL
RAPIDLY WITH DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CRP AND MFE.
IN RESPONSE...COASTAL WINDS HAVE PICKED UP TO AROUND 15 TO 20 KNOTS
AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS.  LATEST MODEL EXAMINATION STILL POINTS TO A
GOOD CHANCE OF LOCALLY +RA ACROSS THE IAH AND GLS ZONE GROUPS...WITH
A BULLSEYE AT 08/00Z.  STRONG UVM (ASSOCIATED WITH 50 KNOT 850 MB LOW
LEVEL JET AND >130 KNOT UPPER LEVEL JET) AND POOLING PW VALUES (1.25
TO 1.50 INCHES) WILL RESULT FROM COMBINATION OF PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED
SURFACE LOW DOWN SOUTH AND UPPER LOW OUT WEST.  THESE FEATURES WILL
LEAD TO SHRA/TSRA FORMATION LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.
WILL KEEP MENTION OF LOCALLY +RA IN IAH AND GLS ZONES.  PRECIP WILL
COME TO AN END BY 08/06Z AS SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL LOWS MOVE OFF TO
OUR EAST AND DRIER AIR BEGINS TO FILTER INTO THE AREA.

DRY SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS TOMORROW WILL LEAD TO A BIG WARMUP
(COMPARED TO THE LAST WEEK OR SO) FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  AREA
REMAINS IN A ZONAL FLOW WITH ACTIVE EASTWARD MOVING IMPULSES STAYING
NORTH OF THE AREA.  EXPECT TUESDAY MORNING COLD FROPA TO BE A DRY ONE.

PRELIMS

CLL T/B A/B 049/072 050/072 8000
IAH T/B A/B 052/072 051/072 9000
GLS T/B A/B 061/071 062/071 9000

 - 1ST PD...ALL ZONE EVENING POPS...ENDING BY MIDNIGHT
 - 2ND PD...CLL PARTLY CLOUDY
         ...IAH AND GLS BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY

42

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.