Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 39

January 27, 199734 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Jan 27, 1997, 4:00 PM CST for 34 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 27, 1997, 4:00 PM CST (22:00 UTC)
Expired
Jan 27, 1997, 10:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 34 counties

Angelina County, TX, Aransas County, TX, Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Cherokee County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fayette County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Harris County, TX, Houston County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Lavaca County, TX, Lee County, TX, Leon County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Madison County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Nacogdoches County, TX, Polk County, TX, Refugio County, TX, Rusk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Victoria County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:01 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.

Warnings issued inside it

18 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 27, 4:10 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers, Liberty65 min
Jan 27, 4:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend65 min
Jan 27, 4:43 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend, Harris62 min
Jan 27, 4:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris68 min
Jan 27, 4:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXTrinity62 min
Jan 27, 5:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk88 min
Jan 27, 5:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Liberty60 min
Jan 27, 5:44 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Harris61 min
Jan 27, 5:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVAngelina45 min
Jan 27, 6:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty3 hr
Jan 27, 6:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty51 min
Jan 27, 6:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Harris65 min
Jan 27, 6:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria68 min
Jan 27, 7:14 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers, Harris61 min
Jan 27, 7:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers69 min
Jan 27, 8:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk60 min
Jan 27, 9:03 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty3 hr
Jan 27, 9:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVAngelina37 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 285 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 12:00Z on 1997-01-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 531 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 12:00Z on 1997-01-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 102 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
531 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
480 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
208 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.

378 
WWUS9 KMKC 272136
SEL9  
MKC WW 272136
TXZ000-280400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 39
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
336 PM CST MON JAN 27 1997

A...THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR

   PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS                              
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING UNTIL 1000 PM CST.

LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS
ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.


THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES
NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF VICTORIA TEXAS
TO 25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF LUFKIN TEXAS.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
$$

C...A FEW SVR TSTMS WITH HAIL SFC AND ALF TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTRM
TURBC AND SFC WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CBS WITH MAX TOPS TO
450.  MEAN WIND VECTOR 23035.

D...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING OVER WATCH AREA...AHEAD OF STRONG COLD
FRONT ADVANCING FROM THE SOUTHEAST. AIR MASS MODERATELY UNSTABLE
WITH 1000 TO 2000 J/KG CAPES. LOW WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS AND WEAK TO
MODERATE WIND SHEAR INDICATE POTENTIAL FOR MAINLY LARGE HAIL AND A
FEW DAMAGING DOWNBURSTS.

E...OTR TSTMS...  CONT..WW 37..WW 38..

...ROGASH

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 27, 1:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, Sabine and 1 more5 hr
Jan 27, 2:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAngelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin and 15 more5 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Texas, 1997Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.