Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 44, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

September 14, 1998Wharton County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 14, 1998, 5:50 PM CDT for Wharton County, Texas. It was in force for 65 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
Sep 14, 1998, 5:50 PM CDT (22:50 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 1998, 6:55 PM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Wharton County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 204 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1998-09-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1371 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 1998-09-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1371 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
697 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KHOU 142249 RRA
TORHOU
TXC481-142355-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
550 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN WHARTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS

* UNTIL 655 PM CDT

* AT 549 PM CDT... RADAR AND WHARTON COUNTY SHERIFFS REPORTS
INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTH OF EL CAMPO...OR IN
THE VICINITY OF LOUISE... MOVING WEST AT 10 MPH.

* THIS TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  LOUISE BY 620 PM 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 14, 2:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 14, 2:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
245 PM CDT MON SEP 14 1998

MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM NORTH WITH A SERIES OF LOOSE LEWP FROM
JASPER COUNTY TO BEYOND 180NM SOUTH OF GLS. VERY HEAVY RAINS HAVE
FALLEN OVER LIBERTY AND CHAMBERS AND BOLIVAR PENINSULA.  AREA RADARS
INDICATE IN EXCESS OF 5 INCHES IN SOME OF THESE AREAS.  ALTHOUGH SOME
WEAKENING OF CONVECTION MAY OCCUR BEFORE MIDNIGHT THE REDEVELOPMENT
OF CONVECTION IN THE GULF AND OVER ERN SETX SEEMS QUITE LIKELY. FAST
WESTERLIES OUT THE SW US TO NETX TAKE A TURN NORTHEAST.  UPPER TROUGH
SLIDING ACROSS THE PLAINS WILL LEAVE BEHIND AN UPPER LOW OVER OK/NRN
TX TUESDAY WHICH SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUMP IN THE MOISTURE FROM THE
GULF.  WILL NEED TO KEEP FFA UP THROUGH TONIGHT AND WILL PROBABLY BE
NECESSARY TUESDAY AS WELL. TO TOP IT ALL OFF STRENGTHENING SE AND
EASTERLY SFC WINDS BODE BAD NEWS FOR THE FOLKS ON THE COAST.  TIDES
OF 2 TO 2.5 FEET CURRENTLY RUNNING ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTED
LEVELS.  HIGH TIDES TO OCCUR BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 3 AM FOR MOST OF
THE UPPER TX COAST.  HAVE ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH WITH
EXPECTATIONS OF 3 TO 3.5 FOOT ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTED LEVELS.
AFTER THE MASSIVE BEACH EROSIONS THE POSSIBILITY COASTAL FLOODING AT
LOWER TIDAL LEVELS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE!  DICKINSON BAYOU ALREADY HAVE
PROBLEMS WITH WATER PILING UP.

ETA AGAIN APPEARS TO BE OVERDOING THE GULF DEVELOPMENT.  AVN APPEARS
TO HAVE A MORE PLAUSIBLE SOLUTION.

WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO KEEP AN EYE ON SOUTHERN END OF THE TROPICAL
PLUME IN SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO AND POSSIBLY THE WESTERN CARRIBEAN.

45 PRELIMS...
CLL  E  /E  B/E 075 090/073 090 3433 LCL HVY RAIN POSSIBLE TNGT
IAH CT>E/E&T E/E 075 089/074 090 6744 LCL HVY RAIN POSSIBLE TNGT-TUE
GLS CT  /ET B/E 077 087/077 088 7754         "
PSX E   /ET B/E 075 089/077 089 4754         "
***FFA FOR ALL ZONES
***COASTAL FLOOD WATCH-HARRIS/CHAMBERS/GLS/BRAZORIA/MATAGORDA/JACKSON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 10:01 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers, Harris, Liberty3 hr
Sep 14, 1:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers, Liberty3 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.