Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Lubbock, TX
NWS Lubbock, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 18, 1998, 2:55 PM CST for Swisher County, Texas. It was in force for 50 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
- Mar 18, 1998, 2:55 PM CST (20:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 18, 1998, 3:45 PM CST
- In force
- 50 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lubbock, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Swisher County, TX
The radar
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 3:20 PM CST | Hail 0.88 | Tulia, TX | The NWS co-operative observer in Tulia reported nickel-size hail at 1520CST. |
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 nearest sounding before it
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 78 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 613 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 179 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 235 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 KLBB 182055 RRA
SVRLBB
TXC437-182145-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
255 PM CST WED MAR 18 1998
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK TX HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
...SWISHER COUNTY
AT 254 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10
MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF TULIA MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE:
TULIA AROUND 305 PM CST
CLAYTONVILLE AROUND 330 PM CST
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS
PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
GW/JWL]What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:03 AM CST, 3 hours 52 minutes before
TXZ021>044-181600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 603 AM SST WED MAR 18 1998 ...STSONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ...WINTER WEATHER MAY RETURN TO THE REGION TONIGHT... A STRONG STORM SYSTEM LOCATED OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS WILL AFFECT THE WEATHER ACRn5EST TEXAS TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. WARM FRONT DRAPED ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SINCE THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME VERY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE LARGE HAKL AND STRONG WINDS. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER NEW MEYIC- 4jNU-T*:44r w*Z<(huRr*tPjNJ),L(L(NZZ9*t)NOUGH THE RETURN OF WINTER IS POSSIBLE AFTER THE THUNDERQTORMS PASS. COLD AIR ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS STRONG SYSTEM WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD ACROSS MOS OF THE AREA SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. VERY COLD TEMPERATURES IN THE MID LEVELC OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE WILL HELP CHANGE THE RAINFALL OVER TO SNOW FOR MOST LOCATIONS BY SUNRISE THURSDAY MORNING. SOME ACCUMULATIONS LOOK POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND NORTERN PORTIONS OF THE sOUTH PLAANS. TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 60S TODAY WILL FEEL DRASTICALLY COKLER TONIGHT AS THE(MERCURY FALLS INTO THE 30S ALD STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS COMBINE TO PRODUCE WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES IN THE 0 TO 10 DEGREE RANGE. KEEP INFORMED OF THIS WIDE VARIETY OF WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE DAY BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES.
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:57 AM CST, 2 hours 58 minutes before
TXZ021>044-182000- AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1157 AM CST WED MAR 18 1998 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE...AND THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS GENERALLY NEAR AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TULIA TO PLAINVIEW...TO LUBBOCK...TO TAHOKA. A SURFACE LOW OVER EXTREME NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LOW...COMBINED WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING TOWARD THE REGION...WILL PROVIDE A GOOD FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER THE AREA. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL GENERALLY BE EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW...FORECAST TO BE NEAR THE CITY OF LUBBOCK LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS WHICH FORM LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. GW
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 11:57 AM CST, 2 hours 58 minutes before
TXZ021>044-182000- AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1157 AM CST WED MAR 18 1998 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE...AND THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS GENERALLY NEAR AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TULIA TO PLAINVIEW...TO LUBBOCK...TO TAHOKA. A SURFACE LOW OVER EXTREME NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LOW...COMBINED WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING TOWARD THE REGION...WILL PROVIDE A GOOD FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER THE AREA. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL GENERALLY BE EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW...FORECAST TO BE NEAR THE CITY OF LUBBOCK LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS WHICH FORM LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. GW
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 2:39 PM CST, 16 minutes before
TXZ022>026-028>032-034>038-042>044-182315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 239 PM CST WED MAR 18 1998 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 9 PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL- CHILDRESS-LAMB-HALE-FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY- DICKENS-KING-GARZA-KENT AND STONEWALL. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING CITIES AND COMMUNITIES DIMMITT-TULIA-SILVERTON-MEMPHIS-CHILDRESS-LITTLEFIELD- PLAINVIEW-FLOYDADA-MATADOR-PADUCAH-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBYTON-DICKENS- POST-JAYTON AND ASPERMONT. A SURFACE LOW AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY LOCATED OVER THE SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS AFTERNOON IS COMBINING WITH DAYTIME HEATING...A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING TOWARD THE REGION TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE AREA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...AND SOME MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SPOTTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. GW
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.