Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 138

April 4, 199714 counties in Arkansas; 16 parishes in Louisiana; 25 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 4, 1997, 10:30 PM CST for 14 counties in Arkansas; 16 parishes in Louisiana; 25 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 4, 1997, 10:30 PM CST (04:30 UTC)
Expired
Apr 5, 1997, 4:00 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 55 counties

Ashley County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Columbia County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Drew County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Miller County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Union County, AR, Beauregard Parish, LA, Bienville Parish, LA, Bossier Parish, LA, Caddo Parish, LA, Claiborne Parish, LA, De Soto Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Sabine Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Webster Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Angelina County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Harrison County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Nacogdoches County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Panola County, TX, Polk County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Shelby County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:31 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 10:35 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVHarrison4 hr
Apr 4, 11:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Howard54 min
Apr 4, 11:28 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKDallas, Ouachita3 hr
Apr 5, 12:03 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVClaiborne, Webster27 min
Apr 5, 12:35 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVColumbia, Lafayette40 min
Apr 5, 12:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKArkansas, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke3 hr
Apr 5, 12:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKBradley, Cleveland, Drew3 hr
Apr 5, 12:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKCalhoun3 hr
Apr 5, 12:51 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVBossier, Caddo3 hr
Apr 5, 12:51 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVWebster3 hr
Apr 5, 12:51 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVNacogdoches, Panola, Shelby3 hr
Apr 5, 2:22 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVColumbia4 hr
Apr 5, 2:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper, Newton, Orange51 min
Apr 5, 2:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson51 min
Apr 5, 2:33 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVDe Soto3 hr
Apr 5, 2:40 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKDallas, Grant, Ouachita2 hr
Apr 5, 3:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Vernon59 min
Apr 5, 3:40 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKArkansas, Cleveland, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln3 hr
Apr 5, 3:40 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKBradley, Calhoun3 hr
Apr 5, 3:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVUnion2 hr
Apr 5, 3:59 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVNatchitoches46 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 145 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 1997-04-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1185 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 1997-04-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 267 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
1185 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-76 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
267 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
316 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
8.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

561 
WWUS9 KMKC 050415
SEL8  
MKC WW 050415
ARZ000-LAZ000-TXZ000-051000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 138
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1115 PM CDT FRI APR 4 1997

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

   PARTS OF SOUTHERN ARKANSAS                           
   PARTS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN LOUISIANA                        
   PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS                              
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING UNTIL 500 AM CDT.

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


THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GALVESTON TEXAS TO 60 MILES
NORTH NORTHEAST OF EL DORADO ARKANSAS.

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 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CBS
WITH MAX TOPS TO 480.  MEAN WIND VECTOR 22040.

D...STG/SVR TSTMS AND ISOLD SUPERCELLS WL RMN PSBL ALG PRE-FNTL
CNVGNC BDRY AS IT MOVES INTO MDTLY UNSTBL AMS CHARACTERIZED BY STG
LOW LVL SHEAR.

E...OTR TSTMS...  CONT..WW 135..WW 136..WW 137..

...VESCIO

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 5, 3:15 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleburne and 28 more6 hr
Apr 5, 2:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Calcasieu and 41 more7 hr
Apr 5, 9:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Jefferson, Lafourche and 12 more6 hr
Apr 4, 7:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAtascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Brazos, Burleson and 27 more6 hr
Apr 4, 9:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAransas, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Duval, Goliad and 13 more7 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 1997Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 1997Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.