Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 99, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

May 27, 1997Brazos County, Madison County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 27, 1997, 7:16 PM CDT for Brazos County, Madison County, Texas. It was in force for 59 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 27, 1997, 7:16 PM CDT (00:16 UTC)
Expired
May 27, 1997, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Brazos County, TX, Madison County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 27, 7:54 PM CDTHail 1.25North Zulch, TX
May 27, 7:55 PM CDTHail 0.75Madisonville, TX

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 27, 3:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 27, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 290 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-05-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3458 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 19 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
3458 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
843 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 27, 2:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 27, 2:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 27, 3:48 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>198-210-211-280400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
348 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 1997

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS
UNTIL 1000 PM...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

BRAZOS...BURLESON...WASHINGTON...AUSTIN...AND COLORADO.

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM FOR MADISON...
HOUSTON...TRINITY...GRIMES...WALKER...SAN JACINTO...AND POLK
COUNTIES REMAINS IN EFFECT.

A SLOW SOUTHEAST MOVING COLD FRONT TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS IS THE FOCUS FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
THIS AFTERNOON.  AS THIS BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO DRIFT TO THE SOUTH AND
SOUTHEAST...SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF BECOMING SEVERE.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED BETWEEN WACO AND
AUSTIN...PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES.  ANY THUNDERSTORMS
THAT DO DEVELOP IN OR NEAR THE TORNADO WATCH AREAS HAVE A GOOD
POTENTIAL OF BECOMING SEVERE.

IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICE IMMEDIATELY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO
THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR
FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 27, 6:50 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>199-210-211-280600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
650 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 1997

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS
UNTIL 100 AM...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

BRAZOS...BURLESON...MADISON...GRIMES...WALKER...MONTGOMERY...
HOUSTON...TRINITY...SAN JACINTO...AND POLK.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR WASHINGTON...
AUSTIN...AND COLORADO COUNTIES.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP TO THE NORTH AND WEST
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS ACROSS A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS.  THESE STORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO SLOWLY PROGRESS TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTH SOUTHEAST TOWARD
SOUTHEAST TEXAS...AND MAY DEVELOP INTO A SQUALL LINE AFTER SUNSET.
THUNDERSTORMS FROM THIS SAME SYSTEM HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES BETWEEN AUSTIN AND WACO RESULTING
IN NUMEROUS INJURIES AND FATALITIES.  THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP
ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE AS SEVERE AS THESE
STORMS EARLIER TODAY.

LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE GREATEST THREAT WITH THIS
EVENINGS THUNDERSTORMS.  CONDITIONS ARE ALSO FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES
TO DEVELOP IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREAS.

IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICE IMMEDIATELY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO
THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR
FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 7:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes56 min
May 27, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXWalker63 min
May 27, 11:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes53 min
May 27, 11:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXGrimes, Walker2 hr
May 28, 12:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes, Montgomery, Walker67 min
May 28, 12:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston62 min
May 28, 10:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris62 min
May 28, 11:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris61 min
May 28, 12:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery64 min
May 28, 1:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGalveston57 min
May 28, 1:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto62 min
May 28, 2:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXWaller57 min
May 28, 2:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin68 min
May 28, 2:59 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXPolk31 min
May 28, 3:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend59 min
May 28, 3:36 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend69 min
May 28, 4:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXJackson, Matagorda, Wharton67 min
May 28, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXJackson63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1997Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.