Tornado Warning 26, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...AMENDED 1ST PERIOD POPS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
224 PM CST MON FEB 16 1998

AMENDED...JUST LOOKED AT KGRK RADAR AND LDS DATA AND SEE SHRA/TSRA
FORMING OVER CENTRAL TX AROUND THE CENTER OF THE UPPER LOW.  ACTIVITY
IS ROTATING COUNTERCLOCKWISE AND TOWARD OUR AREA.  WILL NEED TO ADD
POPS TO THE 1ST PERIOD UNTIL THIS ACTIVITY SUBSIDES.  WILL CALL FOR
20% EVENING SHRA/TSRA FOR BOTH CLL AND IAH AREAS.  HAVE REWORDED 1ST
PERIOD CLOUDS FOR IAH AND CLL TO READ PARTLY CLOUDY...BECOMING FAIR
AFTER MIDNIGHT. NO OTHER ADJUSTMENTS MADE.

AFTER THIS MORNINGS SHRA/TSRA...SE TX IS IN STORE FOR A QUIET DAY OR
TWO BEFORE WE SEE INCREASING CLOUDS AND A CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA ONCE
AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE APPROACH OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT AND
ASSOCIATED ACTIVE SUBTROPICAL BRANCH SYSTEM.  PRESENT RAINS HAVE MOVED
TO THE E OUT OF OUR CWA...AND SATELLITE PICTURES SHOW DRIER AIR
CONTINUING TO FILTER INTO THE AREA FROM CENTRAL TX.  AS THE SYSTEM
CONTINUES TO MOVE OFF TO THE N AND E...WE MIGHT HAVE TO CONTEND WITH
SOME WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE...WITH OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES MOST VULNERABLE
TO THESE CLOUDS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING.  WILL USE THE NOWHOU TO
DEAL WITH ANY INTRUSION FROM UP NORTH.  WELL BE IN BETWEEN SYSTEMS ON
TUESDAY WHICH WILL KEEP SKIES IN THE MOSTLY SUNNY TO PARTLY CLOUDY
RANGE.  APPROACHING COLD FRONT ON WEDNESDAY WILL ALLOW FOR S TO SSW
WINDS TO INCREASE AND BRING SOME MOISTURE BACK INTO THE AREA.  WITH
FRONTS PROXIMITY AND SOME LIFT EVIDENT IN THE MODELS...WILL MENTION
20% AFTERNOON SHRA/TSRA ACROSS THE AREA.

TEMPS MAY BECOME TRICKY TONIGHT IF WRAP-AROUND CLOUDS INVADE OUR
REGION.  WILL TAKE A BLEND OF SIMILAR FAN AND FWC PREDICTIONS.  THE
PRELIMS ARE ALL THAT IS LEFT.

CLL B>A/B A/B 042/066 045/069 2002 (4TH PERIOD - AFTERNOON SHRA/TSRA)
IAH B>A/B A/B 042/066 047/069 2002 (4TH PERIOD - AFTERNOON SHRA/TSRA)
GLS   A/B A/B 046/065 056/068 0002 (4TH PERIOD - AFTERNOON SHRA/TSRA)

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...UPDATED INFO ON SUGARLAND TORNADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TEXAS
400 PM CST MON FEB 16 1998

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

THE TIME OF THE TORNDADO HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT RECORDS RELAYED
TO THE NWS VIA THE SUGARLAND PD AND THE SUGARLAND EMC.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR FORT BEND COUNTY ISSUED AT 453 PM CST
AND VALID UNTIL 555 PM CST.

AT 518 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM STATEMENT WAS ISSUED GIVING UPDATED
STORM POSITION AND MENTIONS SUGARLAND AND MISSOURI CITY ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM.

0527 PM     SUGARLAND                 TX  FUNNEL CLOUD
02/16/98    FORT BEND                     FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED TO NWS
                                          HIGHWAY 6 AND HIGHWAY
                                          59...DPS REPORT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING UPGRADED TO TORNADO WARNING AT 527 PM AND
VALID UNTIL 630 PM.

AT 529 PM...THE FIRST 911 CALL TO SUGARLAND WAS RECEIVED.

0520- PM    SUGARLAND                 TX   TORNADO
0525 PM     FORT BEND                      *** 2 MINOR INJ ***
02/16/98                                  TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT
                                          FIRST COLONY MALL.  DAMAGE
                                          TO MALL AND SOME HOMES AND
                                          VEHICLES.  CAR OVERTURNED.
                                          2 MINOR INJURIES.

STORM SURVEY OF SUGARLAND-FORT COLONY MALL TORNADO

  THE PATH OF DAMAGE FROM THE TORNADO BEGAN ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF
HIGHWAY 59 IN THE ACADEMY/LOEWS/WORLD MARKET STRIP MALL.  NUMEROUS
TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN A CLEAR CONVERGENT PATTERN.  STANDING
LOOKING DOWNWIND...THE TREES ON THE LEFT WERE FALLING ACROSS THE
DAMAGE PATH...WITH THE TREES ON THE RIGHT FALLING ALONG THE DAMAGE
PATH.  ALSO...THE DISPLAY SIGNS FOR THE DEPARTMENT STORES WERE
DESTROYED WITH THE DEBRIS TRANSPORTED DOWNWIND INTO AND AROUND THE JC
PENNY AT FIRST COLONY MALL.  SOME ROOF DAMAGE WAS NOTED AT THE JC
PENNY...WITH ONE DISTINCTIVE PIECE OF DEBRIS LODGED INTO THE NORTH
COLUMN OF THE NORTH ENTRANCE OF THE DEPARTMENT STORE.  SOME ROOF
DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT...HOWEVER THE VISIUAL DAMAGE TO THE MALL WAS
INFLICTEDTO THE DOWNWIND WALL AT THE SIDE OF THE DILLARDS DEPARTMENT
STORE.  THE WALL WAS EFFECTIVELY PEELED AWAY FROM THE MALL AND WAS
DEPOSITED DOWNSTREAM.  SEVERAL CARS IN THE DILLARDS PARKING WERE
DAMAGED...OR EVEN FLIPPED ON END.   PROCEEDING DOWN THE PATH...THE
AERODROME SUFFERED FAIRLY EXTENSIVE DAMAGE...WITH THE GLASS DOORS
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE BLOWN DOWN.  MINOR INJURIES ATTRIBUTED TO FLYING
GLASS OCCURRED AT THE AERODROME.  AT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ALONG GRANT
LAKE BLVD...WIDESPREAD DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT TO THE ROOFS AND TO THE
FENCES AROUND THE COMPLEX.  ACROSS GRANT LAKE...IN THE WILLIAMS GRANT
SUBDIVISION...SEVERAL HOUSES ALONG A DEFINED PATH SUFFERED SHINGLE AND
EVEN SOME PLYWOOD DAMAGE...WITH THE TORNADO PATH ENDING ON THE SOUTH
SIDE OF HIGHWAY 6 AT WILLIAMS GRANT ROAD.  THE TORNADO F-SCALE VARIED
ALONG THE PATH...REACHING A MAXIMUM OF F1.  THE PATH WIDTH VARIED FROM
100 YDS UP TO 200 YDS IN WIDTH...WITH THE PATH LENGTH AT 1 1/4 MILES
LONG.