Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 70, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 20, 1997, 8:22 PM CST for Liberty County, Montgomery County, Texas. It was in force for 53 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
- Dec 20, 1997, 8:22 PM CST (02:22 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 20, 1997, 9:15 PM CST
- In force
- 53 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Liberty County, TX, Montgomery County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:24 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, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 189 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 496 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 325 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 420 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
623 WFUS1 KHOU 210225 RRA TORHOU TXC291-339-210310- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 822 PM CST SAT DEC 20 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS ...NORTHERN LIBERTY COUNTY ...EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AT 820 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR INDICATED TWO TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED JUST EAST OF NEW CANEY AND 5 MILES WEST OF NEW CANEY. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS IS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
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 Dec 20, 8:10 PM CST, 12 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 8:10 PM CST, 12 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 810 PM CST SAT DEC 20 1997 THE RAINS HAVE ARRIVED AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 10Z FOR MOST OF THE FA. ATTM THE JET CRASHING THROUGH THE LINE OF CONVECTION SOUTH OF SAT WILL BE ARRIVING IN FA SHORTLY. THE MASS OF HEAVY RAIN THAT HAS BEEN OVER THE NRN HILL COUNTY WILL PROPOGATE EAST IS THE SCENARIO EXPECTED FOR THE NRN FA AS THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS COMES ENE...WITH THE TILT BECOMING MORE FAVORABLE FOR THE OUTFLOW JET TO BE ENHANCED. OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FA THE SURFACED BASED CONVECTION (IN MID 60S DWPTS) WILL BE THE THREAT WITH SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN LIKELY. WILL CONTINUE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR FA AND CAN UP THE POPS FOR CLL ZONES. WILL ALSO LOWER MIN FOR CLL TONIGHT BASED ON UPSTREAM TEMPS. 45 PRELIMS.. CLL T/T>,E E/E 49/61 40/63 +2-0 IAH T/T>,E E/E 55/63 42/65 +3-0 (1ST PD: SVR TSTMS & FFW) GLS T/T>,E E/E 59/64 52/64 +3-0 (1ST PD: SVR TSTMS & FFW AND WINDY) ALL ZONES (PLEASE)... (2ND PD: TSRA ENDING EARLY. MC/RA) GOTTA RUN...
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Dec 20, 4:14 PM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ-176>179-195>200-210>214-226- 227-235>238-210400- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 415 PM CST SAT DEC 20 1997 ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING OVER THE HILL COUNTRY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LINE WILL BE MOVING SLOWLY INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS EVENING. THE AIRMASS OVER THE REGION REMAINS UNSTABLE AND VERY MOIST. AIDED BY POWERFUL JETSTREAM DYNAMICS...FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR WITH HEIGHT AND DISTURBANCES ROTATING AROUND AN IMPRESSIVE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM...SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL FROM DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS ALTHOUGH A FEW ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD ANTICIPATE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AND MOVING NORTHWARD ACROSS THE UPPER TEXAS COASTAL WATERS THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL BRING A THREAT OF WATERSPOUTS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AND OUTLOOK AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION EARLY THIS EVENING AS THREATENING WEATHER BEGINS MOVING INTO THE AREA. MONITOR YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION...OR YOUR LOCAL CABLE PROVIDER...FOR FURTHER UPDATES OR WARNINGS ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Dec 20, 4:15 PM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ-176>179-195>200-210>214-226- 227-235>238-210400- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 415 PM CST SAT DEC 20 1997 ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING OVER THE HILL COUNTRY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LINE WILL BE MOVING SLOWLY INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS EVENING. THE AIRMASS OVER THE REGION REMAINS UNSTABLE AND VERY MOIST. AIDED BY POWERFUL JETSTREAM DYNAMICS...FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR WITH HEIGHT AND DISTURBANCES ROTATING AROUND AN IMPRESSIVE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM...SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL FROM DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS ALTHOUGH A FEW ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD ANTICIPATE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AND MOVING NORTHWARD ACROSS THE UPPER TEXAS COASTAL WATERS THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL BRING A THREAT OF WATERSPOUTS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AND OUTLOOK AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION EARLY THIS EVENING AS THREATENING WEATHER BEGINS MOVING INTO THE AREA. MONITOR YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION...OR YOUR LOCAL CABLE PROVIDER...FOR FURTHER UPDATES OR WARNINGS ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 6:43 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 62 min |
| Dec 20, 7:07 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 3 hr |
| Dec 20, 8:41 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Liberty | 3 hr |
| Dec 20, 8:53 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Montgomery, San Jacinto | 3 hr |
| Dec 20, 10:15 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 3 hr |
| Dec 20, 11:32 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Liberty | 3 hr |
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.