Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 17, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Jan 21, 1998, 6:07 PM CST for Matagorda County, Wharton County, Texas. It was in force for 68 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jan 21, 1998, 6:07 PM CST (00:07 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 21, 1998, 7:15 PM CST
- In force
- 68 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Matagorda County, TX, Wharton County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:10 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.
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
Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 188 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
- 2384 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 550 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 43 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 66 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 3.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 220007 RRA TORHOU TXC481-321-220115- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 607 PM CST WED JAN 21 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ...WHARTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS ...MATAGORDA COUNTY AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS AT 605 PM... A POTENTIALLY TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST NORTHEAST ALONG THE WHARTON/MATAGORDA COUNTY LINE. THE STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES EAST OF DANEVANG AND WILL CROSS HIGHWAY 60 NORTH OF BAY CITY BEFORE 630 PM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO... SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM... SUCH AS A CLOSET OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS... BLANKETS... OR PILLOWS.
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, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 2:35 PM CST, 3 hours 32 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, 4 hours 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, 4 hours 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, 6:18 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Grimes, Walker | 2 hr |
| Jan 21, 6:21 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Grimes, Montgomery | 49 min |
| Jan 21, 6:29 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | San Jacinto, Walker | 61 min |
| Jan 21, 6:33 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend | 3 hr |
| Jan 21, 6:46 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Harris | 64 min |
| Jan 21, 6:58 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Polk | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 7:38 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 8:19 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Houston | 61 min |
| Jan 21, 8:25 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria | 65 min |
| Jan 21, 8:35 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers, Liberty | 65 min |
| Jan 21, 8:48 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Galveston, Harris | 62 min |
| Jan 21, 9:34 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers | 3 hr |
| Jan 21, 9:40 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 35 min |
| Jan 21, 9:51 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 3 hr |
| Jan 21, 10:27 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris | 33 min |
| Jan 21, 10:36 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers | 64 min |
| Jan 21, 10:36 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 64 min |
| Jan 21, 10:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 67 min |
| Jan 22, 12:33 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers, Harris | 4 hr |
| Jan 22, 4:27 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers | 3 hr |
| Jan 22, 9:05 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Jackson | 55 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.