Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 132

April 4, 1997De Soto Parish, Louisiana; 34 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 4, 1997, 2:15 PM CST for De Soto Parish, Louisiana; 34 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 4, 1997, 2:15 PM CST (20:15 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1997, 8:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 35 counties

De Soto Parish, LA, Anderson County, TX, Angelina County, TX, Bastrop County, TX, Bell County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Cherokee County, TX, Falls County, TX, Freestone County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Houston County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Lee County, TX, Leon County, TX, Limestone County, TX, Madison County, TX, McLennan County, TX, Milam County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Nacogdoches County, TX, Newton County, TX, Polk County, TX, Robertson County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Shelby County, TX, Travis County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Walker County, TX, Washington County, TX, Williamson County, TX

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 2:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVSabine, San Augustine35 min
Apr 4, 2:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVNacogdoches52 min
Apr 4, 2:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVShelby50 min
Apr 4, 3:23 PM CSTTornado WarningSHVShelby37 min
Apr 4, 3:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVDe Soto50 min
Apr 4, 5:54 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDBell3 hr
Apr 4, 6:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis, Williamson66 min
Apr 4, 6:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell62 min
Apr 4, 7:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFalls66 min
Apr 4, 7:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBastrop64 min
Apr 4, 7:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLee57 min
Apr 4, 7:50 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBurleson55 min

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 270 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 1997-04-04Temperature 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 1997-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 154 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
533 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
237 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

690 
WWUS9 KMKC 041957
SEL2  
MKC WW 041957
TXZ000-050200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 132
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
157 PM CST FRI APR 4 1997

A...THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR

   PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL TEXAS                        
     
EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING UNTIL 800 PM CST.

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


THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TEMPLE TEXAS TO 60 MILES
EAST OF LUFKIN TEXAS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND 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...TORNADOES AND A FEW SVR TSTMS WITH HAIL SFC AND ALF TO 1 3/4
INCHES.  EXTRM TURBC AND SFC WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CBS
WITH MAX TOPS TO 500.  MEAN WIND VECTOR 21035.

D...TSTMS DVLPG ATTM IN ZONE OF MDT SHEAR ALG DIFFUSE E/W WRM FNT
OVR E CNTRL TX.  ACTVTY LKLY TO INTENSIFY WITH CONTD SFC HTG...
WITH PRESENCE OF PURE GULF AIR /DWPTS ARND 70/...AND STG FLOW JUST
OFF THE SFC /50 KTS/...SUGG THREAT FOR FOR ISOLD TORNADOES.  

E...OTR TSTMS...  CONT..WW 131..

...CORFIDI

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 4:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 20 more6 hr
Apr 4, 1:45 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBosque, Collin, Comanche, Dallas, Denton, Ellis and 19 more6 hr
Apr 4, 3:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Coryell and 16 more6 hr
Apr 4, 5:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Collin and 27 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 1997Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 1997Every tornado 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.