Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 68, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

November 5, 1997Brazoria County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Nov 5, 1997, 12:10 AM CST for Brazoria County, Texas. It was in force for 35 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, 12:10 AM CST (06:10 UTC)
Expired
Nov 5, 1997, 12:45 AM CST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Brazoria County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:12 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 00:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 240 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 1997-11-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-11-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 73 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1688 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KHOU 050612 RRA
TORHOU
TXC039-050645-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1210 AM CST WED NOV 5 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
 
   ...SOUTHEASTERN BRAZORIA COUNTY
 
AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
 
 
AT 1205 AM CST...A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR TO BE PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER THE BRAZORIA WILDLIFE
REFUGE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 12 MPH.
 
VERY LARGE HAIL WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. SEEK SHELTER IN A
STRONG BUILDING IMMEDIATELY.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO... GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND
MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT GET
INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Nov 4, 8:10 PM CST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 4, 8:10 PM CST, 4 hours before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
800 PM CST TUE NOV 4 1997

PREV REASONING/FCST VALID FOR THE MOST PART. MINOR TWEAKS
FOR 1ST PD ONLY.

STRONG LLVL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE CONTINUING OVR SW RGN OF FA.
HGX WSR-88D VWP INDICATE SLY WND 35-40 KTS TO 3KFT BECMG SWLY
AT 5KFT AT 25 KT.  UPPER LVL JET PUNCHING ACRS RGN. MST CELLS DEVLPG
OVR SW ZNS HAVE SHOWN ROTATION THE PAST FEW HOURS. WL HAVE
TO CLOSELY MONITOR SITUATION.

PRELIMS...
CLL E/E>V V/U 61/76 46/72  5300 (PSBL SVR TNGT-MID MRNG)
IAH E/E>B V/U 61/77 48/71  5400 (PSBL SVR TNGT-LATE MRNG)
GLS E/E B>V/U 65/76 56/70  5410 (PSBL SVR TNGT-NOONISH)

1ST PD GLS AREA...LOWER 60S INLAND...MID TO UPPER 60S COAST.

#37

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 4, 10:01 PM CST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TEXAS
1101 PM CDT TUE NOV 04 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0758 PM    MIDFIELD                  TX   WIND DAMAGE
11/04/97   MATAGORDA                      CAR BLOWN OFF ROAD BY
                                          STRONG WINDS ON HIGHWAY 71
                                          NORTH OF MIDFIELD. UNKNOWN
                                          INJURIES.
Local storm report, Nov 4, 10:04 PM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TEXAS
1101 PM CDT TUE NOV 04 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0758 PM    MIDFIELD                  TX   WIND DAMAGE
11/04/97   MATAGORDA                      CAR BLOWN OFF ROAD BY
                                          STRONG WINDS ON HIGHWAY 71
                                        l  NORTH OF MIDFIELD. UNKNOWN
                                          INJURIES.
Local storm report, Nov 4, 10:04 PM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes before
STORM REPORT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON, TX
1004 PM CST TUE NOV 04 1997

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0658 PM    MIDFIELD                  TX   WIND DAMAGE
11/04/97   MATAGORDA                      CAR BLOWN OFF ROAD BY
                                          STRONG WINDS ON HIGHWAY 71
                                          NORTH OF MIDFIELD. UNKNOWN
                                          INJURIES.
Local storm report, Nov 4, 10:05 PM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
STORM REPORT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON, TX
1004 PM CST TUE NOV 04 1997

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0658 PM    MIDFIELD                  TX   WIND DAMAGE
11/04/97   MATAGORDA                      CAR BLOWN OFF ROAD BY
                                          STRONG WINDS ON HIGHWAY 71
                                          NORTH OF MIDFIELD. UNKNOWN
                                          INJURIES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 4, 6:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMatagorda60 min
Nov 4, 6:36 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda54 min
Nov 4, 10:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria64 min
Nov 4, 11:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria, Matagorda59 min
Nov 4, 11:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria41 min
Nov 5, 2:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria59 min
Nov 5, 3:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria65 min
Nov 5, 3:59 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGalveston61 min
Nov 5, 4:06 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston69 min
Nov 5, 4:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMatagorda60 min
Nov 5, 4:35 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria55 min
Nov 5, 5:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston54 min
Nov 5, 5:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria59 min
Nov 5, 6:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston60 min
Nov 5, 7:02 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston58 min
Nov 5, 7:26 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXHouston2 hr
Nov 5, 7:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXTrinity64 min
Nov 5, 8:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston55 min
Nov 5, 8:31 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXHouston, Trinity119 min
Nov 5, 8:47 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXTrinity58 min
Nov 5, 8:52 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk68 min
Nov 5, 10:38 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXLiberty37 min
Nov 5, 2:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMatagorda50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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.