Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 41, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 11, 1998, 4:31 AM CDT for Harris County, Texas. It was in force for 64 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
- Sep 11, 1998, 4:31 AM CDT (09:31 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 11, 1998, 5:35 AM CDT
- In force
- 64 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Harris County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 4:32 AM CDT | Tornado F1 | La Porte, TX | Tornado touchdown caused moderate damage to homes and apartments. Damage included in T.S. Frances summary. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 4:30 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 9 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 213 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
- 26 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -67 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 452 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 17 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 273 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 445 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 110935 COR TORHOU TXC201-111035- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING...CORRECTED TIMES NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 431 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... HARRIS COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS * UNTIL 535 AM CDT * AT 431 AM CDT... WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM IN THE VICINITY OF LAPORTE MOVING NORTHWEST AT 45 MPH. * THIS TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... LAPORTE BY 432 AM CDT BAYTOWN BY 436 AM CDT DEER PARK BY 435 AM CDT PASADENA BY 440 AM CDT CHANNEL VIEW BY 445 AM CDT HUMBLE BY 505 AM CDT ALDINE BY 505 AM CDT IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS... SEEK SAFETY IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
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 Sep 11, 2:32 AM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 11, 2:32 AM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
130 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998
THE 1 AM UPDATE FROM TPC (NHC) POSITIONED T.S. FRANCES JUST 30 MILES
NE OF PORT ARANSAS. THE SFC AND BUOY REPORTS OVER THE PAST FEW
HOURS CONFIRM THAT THE STORM CENTER SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL WITHIN THE
NEXT HOUR OR SO...WITH THE 06Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING THE CENTER
JUST OFFSHORE AND THE 07Z SURFACE INDICATING THE CENTER JUST
ONSHORE. THE HEAVIEST RAIN BANDS CONTINUED TO MOVE ONSHORE OVER
SETX AND AM EXPECTING RAIN BANDS TO AFFECT THE FORECAST AREA
THROUGHOUT THE DAY FROM THE GULF.
THE ETA/NGM APPEAR TO BE FORECASTING THE MOVMENT OF THE STORM
WELL...THOUGH NOT THE POSITION OF THE LANDFALL OF THE STORM. LIKE
THE ETA AS COMPARED TO THE OTHER MODELS...ESPECIALLY SINCE THE AVN
REALLY LINGERS THE STORM OFFSHORE TOO LONG AND THE NGM CURLS THE
STORM CENTER ALMOST DUE SOUTH IN THE LATER PERIODS. THE STORM LOOKS
TO BE FINALLY CAUGHT UP IN THE CIRCULATION AROUND THE 500 MB HIGH
LOCATED OVER THE CENTRAL PORTON OF THE COUNTRY. THE ETA FORECASTS
THIS HIGH TO BUILD SOUTH INTO SETX...PUSHING FRANCES WELL WEST OF
THE FORECAST AREA BY LATE TONIGHT. A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT
BETWEEN THE LOW AND THE SURFACE HIGH TO THE NE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP
EASTERLY WINDS OVER THE COASTAL AREAS THROUGH TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.
THREATS FOR THE FIRST PERIOD INCLUDE HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE RELATED
FLASH FLOOD THREAT...AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES WITH THE RAINBANDS.
WILL KEEP THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT TODAY. WILL ALSO NEED A
WIND ADVISORY IN THE COUNTIES OUTSIDE THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING.
THE COASTAL FLOODING THREAT WILL CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT...AS THE
STORM CONTINUES MOVING WELL INLAND AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
DECREASES THE TIDES SHOULD SLOWLY SUBSIDE.
AM EXPECTING TEMPERATURES TODAY TO BE A BIT BELOW THE FWC. IN THE
LATTER PERIODS WILL GO CLOSER TO THE MOS GUIDANCE. PL/40
PRELIMS...
CLL T/E E/B 82/75 90/74 9532 1ST PD...WND 20-30 GUSTY/FFA/WND ADV
NE T/C >B/B 80/75 87/75 9422 1ST PD...WND 20-30 GUSTY/FFA/WND ADV
IAH T/W E/B 80/76 90/75 9732 1ST PD...WND 20-30G40 /FFA/WND ADV
2ND PD...WND 10-20 AND GUSTY
GLS T/W E/B 82/77 87/79 9753 1ST PD...WND 25-35G45 AND FFA
2ND PD...WND 15-25G30In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 11, 3:58 AM CDT, 33 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-112030- SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 358 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998 ...TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WILL PROVIDE HEAVY RAINFALL AND CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AS RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA TODAY. AS THE TROPICAL STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND...THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FALL MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LIBERTY TO CONROE TO COLLEGE STATION. RAINFALL BY THIS EVENING SHOULD AVERAGE 2 TO 4 INCHES...THOUGH IN THOSE AREAS WHERE RAINBANDS MOVE CONTINUALLY OVER THE SAME LOCATIONS AMOUNTS MAY BE AS HIGH AS 6 TO 8 INCHES. A FAVORABLE WIND PROFILE ALOFT INDICATES THAT SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER TODAY. THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED TORNADOES AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. REMEMBER...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING EXISTS WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS CLOSELY. BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Sep 11, 3:58 AM CDT, 33 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-112030- SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 358 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998 ...TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WILL PROVIDE HEAVY RAINFALL AND CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AS RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA TODAY. AS THE TROPICAL STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND...THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FALL MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LIBERTY TO CONROE TO COLLEGE STATION. RAINFALL BY THIS EVENING SHOULD AVERAGE 2 TO 4 INCHES...THOUGH IN THOSE AREAS WHERE RAINBANDS MOVE CONTINUALLY OVER THE SAME LOCATIONS AMOUNTS MAY BE AS HIGH AS 6 TO 8 INCHES. A FAVORABLE WIND PROFILE ALOFT INDICATES THAT SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER TODAY. THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED TORNADOES AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. REMEMBER...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING EXISTS WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS CLOSELY. BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Sep 11, 4:13 AM CDT, 18 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226- 227-235>238-111610- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 413 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1 PM FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. COUNTIES IN THE WATCH AREA INCLUDE: BRAZORIA...COLORADO...FORT BEND...HARRIS...MATAGORDA...POLK... TRINITY...WALKER...WHARTON...AUSTIN...BRAZOS...GALVESTON...GRIMES... LIBERTY...SAN JACINTO...WALLER...BURLESON...CHAMBERS...JACKSON... MADISON...MONTGOMERY...WASHINGTON COUNTIES INCLUDING THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS MAY ALSO OCCUR. BE READY TO MOVE TO SHELTER IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Sep 11, 4:29 AM CDT, 2 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-112030- SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 358 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 1998 ...TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WILL PROVIDE HEAVY RAINFALL AND CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AS RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FRANCES WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA TODAY. AS THE TROPICAL STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND...THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FALL MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LIBERTY TO CONROE TO COLLEGE STATION. RAINFALL BY THIS EVENING SHOULD AVERAGE 2 TO 4 INCHES...THOUGH IN THOSE AREAS WHERE RAINBANDS MOVE CONTINUALLY OVER THE SAME LOCATIONS AMOUNTS MAY BE AS HIGH AS 6 TO 8 INCHES. A FAVORABLE WIND PROFILE ALOFT INDICATES THAT SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER TODAY. THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED TORNADOES AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. REMEMBER...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING EXISTS WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS CLOSELY. BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 7:13 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Galveston | 4 hr |
| Sep 10, 8:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Galveston | 63 min |
| Sep 10, 10:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Matagorda, Wharton | 4 hr |
| Sep 10, 10:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 12:09 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Galveston | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 1:29 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Galveston, Harris | 66 min |
| Sep 11, 2:03 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 3:31 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Galveston | 64 min |
| Sep 11, 4:01 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Galveston | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 4:39 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Jackson | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 5:32 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Grimes, Montgomery, Waller | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 5:54 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 6:06 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Fort Bend | 64 min |
| Sep 11, 6:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Harris | 62 min |
| Sep 11, 7:49 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Galveston | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 7:49 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 8:58 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris | 6 hr |
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.