Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 131, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

March 16, 1998Atascosa County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 16, 1998, 1:31 AM CST for Atascosa County, Texas. It was in force for 59 min. 1 report 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
Mar 16, 1998, 1:31 AM CST (07:31 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 1998, 2:30 AM CST
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Atascosa County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:32 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
Mar 16, 1:40 AM CSTThunderstorm WindCharlotte, TXA severe thunderstorm damaged several small sheds and took roofs off homes in the Charlotte area.

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
Mar 16, 1:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 1998-03-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 972 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 1998-03-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 222 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
972 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-106 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
537 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
222 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
356 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAT 160731 RRA
SVRSAT
TXC013-160830-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
131 AM CST MON MAR 16 1998
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
 
   ...ATASCOSA COUNTY
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ALONG THE
FRIO ATASCOSA COUNTY LINE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS
AND ROOF DAMAGE WERE REPORTED AS THE STORM MOVED THROUGH FRIO COUNTY.
 
ALTHOUGH NO TORNADOES HAVE BEEN DETECTED WITH THIS STORM...A
TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND
OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING
SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS CAN REACH SPEEDS OVER 60 MPH.  THESE WINDS
BLOW DOWN TREES...POWER LINES...AND SEVERELY DAMAGE MOBILE HOMES...
SOMETIMES BUILDINGS.  tVERY LARGE HAIL CAN INJURE ANYONE CAUGHT
OUTSIDE.
 
&

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 15, 8:56 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TEXAS
856 PM CST SUN MAR 15 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0400 PM    COMSTOCK 5NW              TX   .75 INCH HAIL
03/15/98   VAL VERDE                      REPORTED BY COOP OBSERVER
                                          AT KELLY RANCH

0640 PM    LANGTRY 13W               TX   .75 INCH HAIL
03/15/98   VAL VERDE                      RAINFALL OD .80 IN 20-30 MIN
Local storm report, Mar 15, 8:56 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TEXAS
856 PM CST SUN MAR 15 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0400 PM    COMSTOCK 5NW              TX   .75 INCH HAIL
03/15/98   VAL VERDE                      REPORTED BY COOP OBSERVER
                                          AT KELLY RANCH

0640 PM    LANGTRY 13W               TX   .75 INCH HAIL
03/15/98   VAL VERDE                      RAINFALL OD .80 IN 20-30 MIN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 15, 7:57 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXVal Verde2 hr
Mar 15, 8:45 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXEdwards3 hr
Mar 15, 11:44 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXDimmit, Zavala3 hr
Mar 15, 11:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXZavala67 min
Mar 16, 12:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXFrio62 min
Mar 16, 12:46 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBandera, Bexar, Frio, Medina3 hr
Mar 16, 12:46 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXGillespie, Kendall, Kerr3 hr
Mar 16, 12:46 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBlanco, Comal3 hr
Mar 16, 12:46 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBurnet, Llano3 hr
Mar 16, 2:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXComal58 min
Mar 16, 3:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe, Hays59 min
Mar 16, 3:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilson59 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.