Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Brownsville, TX

February 1, 1998Jim Hogg County, Starr County, Zapata County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 1, 1998, 1:01 PM CST for Jim Hogg County, Starr County, Zapata County, Texas. It was in force for 64 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Feb 1, 1998, 1:01 PM CST (19:01 UTC)
Expired
Feb 1, 1998, 2:05 PM CST
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jim Hogg County, TX, Starr County, TX, Zapata County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 168 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:02 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 1, 1:02 PM CSTHail 0.75San Ygnacio, TX
Feb 1, 1:30 PM CSTHail 0.75Hebbronville, TX
Feb 1, 1:33 PM CSTHail 0.75Rio Grande City, TX
Feb 1, 1:35 PM CSTHail 0.75Rio Grande City, TX

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 1, 11:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 179 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 1998-02-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 673 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 1998-02-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
673 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-86 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
598 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

853 
WUUS1 KBRO 011900 RRA
SVRBRO
TXC247-427-505-012005-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
101 PM CST SUN FEB 1 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE TX HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 205 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTHERN TEXAS

   ...EASTERN ZAPATA COUNTY
   ...JIM HOGG COUNTY
   ...NORTHERN STARR COUNTY

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER EASTERN ZAPATA COUNTY AND WAS
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.  THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS A HISTORY OF HAIL
AS ZAPATA RECORDED 1/2 INCH HAIL.

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING... PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS
PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION..OR YOUR
LOCAL CABLE OUTLET FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING
WEATHER SITUATION.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Feb 1, 9:45 AM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 1, 9:45 AM CST, 3 hours 16 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
945 AM CST SUN FEB 01 1998

SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER KENEDY COUNTY HAS MOVED NORTH OF THE
COUNTY WARNING AREA.  ALL PROGS SEEM TO BE IN AGREEMENT IN KEEPING
PVA IMPULSES MOVING ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH TONIGHT AS UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH AT 500 MB REMAINS TO THE WEST.  THE S/WV TROUGH WILL
MOVE EAST OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS ON MONDAY CAUSING A MORE STABLE AND
DRY ATMOSPHERE.  PREVIOUS FORECAST LOOKS GOOD AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER
WILL TAKE THE DENSE FOG OUT OF THE FORECAST AS FOG HAS DISSIPATED.
WINDS WILL DIFINITLY PICK UP BY TONIGHT AND COULD WARRANT A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY.  THE CWFSAT IS AN OLD ONE IN AFOS...SAT PLEASE
CHECK.

55

The office that day

Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 1, 1:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo, Starr64 min
Feb 1, 2:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROStarr33 min
Feb 1, 2:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo59 min
Feb 1, 2:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROWillacy62 min
Feb 1, 3:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo63 min
Feb 1, 3:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROWillacy47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.