Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Jan 21, 1998, 5:25 PM CST for Montgomery County, Walker County, Texas. It was in force for 65 min. 5 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
- Jan 21, 1998, 5:25 PM CST (23:25 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 21, 1998, 6:30 PM CST
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Montgomery County, TX, Walker County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:29 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 5:34 PM CST | Tornado F0 | Dobbin, TX | Tornado moved in from Grimes County along FM 149. Barn roof damaged 3 miles east of Richards, tree limb blown through metal of a car door. Storm continued moving east-northeast downing trees to the Montgomery/Walker County line near FM 1791. |
| Jan 21, 5:49 PM CST | Tornado F1 | New Waverly, TX | Tornado continued from the Montgomery/Walker County line moving to the east-northeast through Sam Houston National Forest. This tornado snapped numerous trees along its path, some 18 inches in diameter. Timber loss was estimated at $200,000. Most significan |
| Jan 21, 5:49 PM CST | Hail 0.75 | Dobbin, TX | |
| Jan 21, 6:27 PM CST | Hail 1 | Huntsville, TX | |
| Jan 21, 6:30 PM CST | Hail 0.75 | Conroe, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 2:15 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 229 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 58 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -81 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 502 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 287 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 313 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
463 WFUS1 KHOU 212324 RRA TORHOU TXC339-471-220025- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 525 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS ...EXTREME NORTHWESTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY ...WALKER COUNTY AT 521 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CARLOS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT HUNTSVILLE BY 615 PM. THIS STORM PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN SHIRO AT 520 PM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. &
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jan 21, 2:35 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 2:35 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 235 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998 W/OUT GARP AND LITTLE GRIDDED DATA...WL HAVE TO RELY ON AFOS. COMPLEX SFC ANAL INDICATE CDFNT FM NR TXK TO NR ACT TO SRN PART OF HILL COUNTRY. MOISTURE AXIS SOUTH OF FRONT FROM BRO TO CLL. PSEUDO WARM FRONT OVR EXTREME NRN ZNS OF FA. DRY LN/TROF OVR WRN RIO GRANDE PLAINS AND SRN HILL COUNTRY. NGM/ETA SHOWS SLOWING OF CDFNT MOVEMENT ACRS SE TX TONITE. NGM 850 MB 24HR PROG SHOWS TROF FM NR TYR TO LRD AND SHV TO FREEPORT LN BY 23/00Z. W/850-700 MB TROF LN SLOW TO MOVE EWD THURDAY...EXPECT CONT CHC OF PCPN. PCPN CHCS ENDING THUR EVE. SEVERE CELLS NOW DEVELOPING OVR WARM SECTOR/MOISTURE AXIS AREA... W/ROTATION EVIDENT. WOULD EXPECT CONVECTION TO BECOME WIDESPREAD THIS EVE AS MOISTURE AXIS SWINGS TO CNTL PORTION OF RGN AND LLVL JET PICKS UP. SEE SATFFASAT. PRELIMS... CLL T/C E/B 47/51 39/57 7410 PSBL SVR TONITE IAH T/C E/B 57/59 39/57 8510 PSBL SVR/HVY RAINFALL TONITE GLS T/C E/B 56/61 42/56 8620 PSBL SVR/HVY RAINFALL TONITE 37
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jan 21, 2:07 PM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227- 235>238-220305- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 207 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 8 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: HOUSTON...TRINITY...AUSTIN...JACKSON...WASHINGTON...WHARTON... BRAZOS...COLORADO...BURLESON...BRAZORIA...GRIMES...MONTGOMERY... SAN JACINTO...CHAMBERS...LIBERTY...FORT BEND...HARRIS...MADISON... WALKER...GALVESTON...MATAGORDA...POLK...WALLER...INCLUDING THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THE WATCH ARE ALSO INCLUDES MILAM...ROBERTSON...AND LEON COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH Y&OUR AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Jan 21, 2:07 PM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227- 235>238-220305- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 207 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 8 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: HOUSTON...TRINITY...AUSTIN...JACKSON...WASHINGTON...WHARTON... BRAZOS...COLORADO...BURLESON...BRAZORIA...GRIMES...MONTGOMERY... SAN JACINTO...CHAMBERS...LIBERTY...FORT BEND...HARRIS...MADISON... WALKER...GALVESTON...MATAGORDA...POLK...WALLER...INCLUDING THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THE WATCH ARE ALSO INCLUDES MILAM...ROBERTSON...AND LEON COUNTIES IN CENTRAL TEXAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH Y&OUR AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 1:17 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado | 58 min |
| Jan 21, 1:45 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin | 60 min |
| Jan 21, 1:58 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 3:05 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Burleson | 60 min |
| Jan 21, 3:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 60 min |
| Jan 21, 3:28 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Jackson | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 3:41 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Washington | 64 min |
| Jan 21, 4:04 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Burleson | 46 min |
| Jan 21, 4:11 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazos | 64 min |
| Jan 21, 4:47 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Madison | 63 min |
| Jan 21, 4:48 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazos, Grimes | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 4:57 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Wharton | 63 min |
| Jan 21, 5:00 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Jackson, Matagorda | 65 min |
| Jan 21, 5:21 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Matagorda | 64 min |
| Jan 21, 5:34 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Houston, Madison | 66 min |
| Jan 21, 5:52 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Grimes | 48 min |
| Jan 21, 5:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Fort Bend | 61 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.