Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 45

February 19, 199724 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 19, 1997, 9:45 PM CST for 24 counties in Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 19, 1997, 9:45 PM CST (03:45 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 1997, 3:00 AM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 24 counties

Atascosa County, TX, Bandera County, TX, Bee County, TX, Bexar County, TX, Crockett County, TX, Dimmit County, TX, Edwards County, TX, Frio County, TX, Gillespie County, TX, Kendall County, TX, Kerr County, TX, Kimble County, TX, Kinney County, TX, La Salle County, TX, Live Oak County, TX, Mason County, TX, Maverick County, TX, McMullen County, TX, Medina County, TX, Real County, TX, Sutton County, TX, Uvalde County, TX, Val Verde County, TX, Zavala County, TX

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 19, 9:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde69 min
Feb 19, 10:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCrockett62 min
Feb 19, 11:46 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXVal Verde4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 127 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-02-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 810 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 1997-02-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 109 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
810 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
917 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
2.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

888 
WWUS9 KMKC 200419
SEL5  
MKC WW 200419
TXZ000-200900-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 45
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1019 PM CST WED FEB 19 1997

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

   PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS                     
        
EFFECTIVE FROM 945 PM UNTIL 300 AM CST THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY MORNING.

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


THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF JUNCTION TEXAS TO 25
MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF COTULLA 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 2
INCHES.  EXTRM TURBC AND SFC WIND GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS.  A FEW CBS
WITH MAX TOPS TO 500.  MEAN WIND VECTOR 18035.

D...CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS INTENSIFYING AHEAD OF SURFACE AND
UPPER COLD FRONTS IN WARM SECTOR OF SURFACE LOW.  STRONG LOW LEVEL
WIND SHEAR/VEERING INDICATES POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS AS AIR MASS
UNSTABLE PER 1000 J/KG CAPES.

E...OTR TSTMS...

...ROGASH

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 20, 5:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAtascosa, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque and 56 more6 hr
Feb 20, 11:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAnderson, Bell, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet and 34 more6 hr
Feb 20, 11:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAtascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bexar, Blanco and 32 more6 hr
Feb 20, 3:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAnderson, Angelina, Bowie, Brazoria, Camp, Cass and 43 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 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.