Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 805

December 23, 199732 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 23, 1997, 2:30 PM CST for 32 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 23, 1997, 2:30 PM CST (20:30 UTC)
Expired
Dec 23, 1997, 8:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 32 counties

Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, DeWitt County, TX, Fayette County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Goliad County, TX, Gonzales County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Lavaca County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Polk County, TX, Refugio County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, San Patricio County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Victoria County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:30 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 23, 2:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXDeWitt39 min
Dec 23, 3:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPGoliad, Victoria30 min
Dec 23, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBurleson, Washington58 min
Dec 23, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin, Colorado58 min
Dec 23, 3:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPVictoria34 min
Dec 23, 4:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes, Waller53 min
Dec 23, 4:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery, Walker56 min
Dec 23, 4:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris63 min
Dec 23, 4:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend, Wharton57 min
Dec 23, 5:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto60 min
Dec 23, 5:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria63 min
Dec 23, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty, Polk59 min
Dec 23, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Galveston, Harris59 min
Dec 23, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery59 min
Dec 23, 5:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHHardin, Jefferson, Tyler53 min
Dec 23, 5:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHHardin, Jefferson64 min
Dec 23, 5:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHTyler64 min
Dec 23, 6:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Galveston60 min
Dec 23, 6:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper, Newton, Orange65 min

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 257 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1997-12-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1707 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1997-12-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 135 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
1707 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
486 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.7
Supercell composite
7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.