Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 22, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Feb 10, 1998, 1:05 PM CST for Chambers County, Harris County, Liberty County, Texas. It was in force for 65 min. 2 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 10, 1998, 1:05 PM CST (19:05 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 10, 1998, 2:10 PM CST
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Chambers County, TX, Harris County, TX, Liberty County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 50 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:05 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1:05 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind | Mont Belvieu, TX | Wind damage to billboards on HWY 146. |
| Feb 10, 1:20 PM CST | Tornado F1 | Raywood, TX | Tornado destroyed large metal barn, 10 utility poles blown down (some snapped at base), minor damage to metal roofs of farm buildings, shingles blown off houses. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 10:00 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 171 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
- 380 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -57 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 709 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 125 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 182 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 1.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 101905 RRA TORHOU TXC071-201-291-102010- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 105 PM CST TUE FEB 10 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 210 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS ...CHAMBERS COUNTY ...EXTREME EASTERN HARRIS COUNTY ...SOUTHERN LIBERTY COUNTY AT 104 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MONT BELVIEU MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS WILL CROSS I-10 AT MONT BELVIEU BEFORE 115 PM. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SAFETY IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK REtFUGE IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. &
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 Feb 10, 8:35 AM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 8:35 AM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 835 AM CST TUE FEB 10 1998 BIG WX IS COMING TOGETHER AS IT SHIFTS EASTWARD. APPEARS THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY WILL BECOME THE FOCUS FOR HEAVY RAINS AND THEN AS MID LEVEL SPEED MAX ROTATES IN THE THREAT OF SVR/TOR WILL INCREASE DRAMATICALLY. LL INFLOW RATHER STRONG AND SFC WINDS OVER THE GULF GUSTING TO 37KTS WITH A SHIP OB REPORTING 70 DWPTS IN THE INFLOW. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL BE NEEDED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. WILL UP POPS. 45 PRELIMS... CLL T/B/ U/A 73/45 64/40 +-00 IAH T/B U/A 75/42 65/39 +200 (2ND PERIOD MAINLY EVENING PCPN) GLS T/B U/A 68/48 63/44 +200 (2ND PERIOD MAINLY EVENING PCPN)
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 10, 9:34 AM CST, 3 hours 31 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214- 226-227-235>238-102130- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 934 AM CST TUE FEB 10 1998 ...A VERY RAPIDLY DEVELOPING DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER EVENT IS GOING TO BE MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATE THIS MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON... A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE PRESENT FROM MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-10 FROM NEAR RICHMOND TO LIBERTY. A NUMBER OF INGREDIENTS ARE RAPIDLY COMING TOGETHER...A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER THE HILL COUNTRY AND A VERY STRONG JETSTREAM INTERACTION AND DEEP MOISTURE RACING INLAND FROM THE GULF WILL MERGE OVER THE REGION. STRONG TURNING IN THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE WILL FAVOR THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS AND A HIGH LIKELYHOOD OF TORNADOES IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS THIS AFTERNOON...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SKY. IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. REMEMBER...THE ACTIONS YOU TAKE DURING A TORNADO EVENT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY.
Special weather statement, Feb 10, 9:54 AM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214- 226-227-235>238-102240- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 954 AM CST TUE FEB 10 1998 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH 4 PM... A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION IS EVOLVING...VERY STRONG WINDS IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE THAT CHANGE FROM THE SOUTHEAST AT THE SURFACE TO THE WEST IN THE MID-LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL FAVOR THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND THE FORMATION OF TORNADOES. A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HILL COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE EAST AND WILL LIKELY BECOME ORGANIZED INTO A SQUALL LINE BRINGING WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND BRIEF ISOLATED TORNADOES AS IT MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. STORMS THAT DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE WILL LIKELY TAKE ON SUPERCELL CHARACTERISTICS THAT WOULD SUPPORT LONGER LIVED TORNADOES ALONG WITH THE THREAT OF MICORBURST WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST WARNINGS ISSUED. IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL SHERIFFS OFFICE AS SOON AS THE THREAT HAS SAFELY DIMINISHED.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 10:29 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Colorado, Jackson, Wharton | 96 min |
| Feb 10, 11:20 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin, Fort Bend, Waller | 60 min |
| Feb 10, 11:26 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris | 64 min |
| Feb 10, 11:26 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Galveston | 64 min |
| Feb 10, 11:42 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Harris, Montgomery | 73 min |
| Feb 10, 11:48 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris | 3 hr |
| Feb 10, 11:51 AM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris | 64 min |
| Feb 10, 12:14 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Harris | 61 min |
| Feb 10, 12:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston | 64 min |
| Feb 10, 12:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty | 64 min |
| Feb 10, 12:31 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | San Jacinto | 94 min |
| Feb 10, 12:49 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty, Polk | 71 min |
| Feb 10, 1:12 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Trinity | 63 min |
| Feb 10, 1:30 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Galveston | 65 min |
| Feb 10, 1:44 PM CST | Tornado Warning | HGX | Galveston | 46 min |
| Feb 10, 2:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Chambers | 30 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.