Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 83

March 1, 199720 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 1, 1997, 11:00 PM CST for 20 counties in Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 1, 1997, 11:00 PM CST (05:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 1997, 4:00 AM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Aransas County, TX, Bee County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Duval County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Goliad County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Jim Hogg County, TX, Jim Wells County, TX, Karnes County, TX, Kleberg County, TX, Live Oak County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, McMullen County, TX, Nueces County, TX, Refugio County, TX, San Patricio County, TX, Victoria County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:01 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 1, 11:20 PM CSTTornado WarningCRPMcMullen40 min

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 72 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 00:00Z on 1997-03-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1612 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 00:00Z on 1997-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -108 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
1612 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-132 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1104 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.5
Supercell composite
-4.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

455 
WWUS9 KMKC 020432
SEL3  
MKC WW 020432
TXZ000-021000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 83
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1032 PM CST SAT MAR 1 1997

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

   PARTS OF SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST                
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING UNTIL 400 AM 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 45 MILES WEST OF ALICE TEXAS TO 55 MILES EAST
NORTHEAST OF PALACIOS 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 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CBS
WITH MAX TOPS TO 450.  MEAN WIND VECTOR 23040.

D...STEEP LO- TO MIDLVL LAPSE RATES...WITH INCRG MIDLVL CD ADVTN
AND LOLVL SELY FLOW OF GULF AIR /DWPTS NR 70/ WL BE FVRBL FOR
SUPERCELL DVLPMT TNGT...WHERE MIDLVL SWLY FLOW WL RMN AOA 60 KTS. 
  
E...OTR TSTMS...  CONT..WW 80..WW 81..WW 82..

...CORFIDI

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 1, 6:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison and 6 more3 hr
Mar 1, 10:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAtascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos and 30 more6 hr
Mar 2, 9:45 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Cherokee, Gregg, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson and 10 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.