Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Brownsville, TX

May 10, 1999Kenedy County, Willacy County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this tornado warning at May 10, 1999, 11:00 PM CDT for Kenedy County, Willacy County, Texas. It was in force for 45 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: May 10, 1999, 11:00 PM CDT (04:00 UTC)
Expired: May 10, 1999, 11:45 PM CDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Brownsville, TX
Area: Whole counties

Counties Kenedy County, TX, Willacy County, TX

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 10, 11:54 PM CDT	Hail 0.88	Port Mansfield, TX

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
May 10, 8:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 92 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 3707 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -199 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 874 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS1 KBRO 110403 RRA
TORBRO
TXC261-489-110445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1100 PM CDT MON MAY 10 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN KENEDY COUNTY IN TEXAS
  WILLACY COUNTY IN TEXAS
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF  RAYMONDVILLE

* UNTIL 1145 PM CDT

* AT 1059 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 25 MILES NORTH OF
  RAYMONDVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE
IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT 
TUESDAY MORNING FOR TEXAS.

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 Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 10, 8:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 8:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before

DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
830 PM CDT MON MAY 10 1999

BRO SOUNDING THIS EVENING INDCTS A PRECIP WATER OF 1.81 WITH A L.I.
OF A -11 WHICH INDCTS VERY UNSTABLE AND MOIST AIR OVER DEEP SOUTH
TEXAS.  THE 18Z RUC INDCTS AN AREA OF PVA MOVING INTO DEEP SOUTH
TEXAS THIS EVENING WITH MAX PVA CENTER OF 15 WHICH IS PRETTY STRONG
FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.  BROWNSVILLE DOPPLER RADAR INDCTS SOME SHOWERS
AND TSTMS OVER NORTHERN PORTION OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS RAPIDLY MOVING
TO THE SOUTHEAST.  WILL PUT POPS IN THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT WITH
THE MENTION OF POSSIBLE SEVERE TSTMS.  OTHER THEN THAT THE REMAINDER
OF THE FORECAST LOOKS GOOD AT THIS TIME.

55

The office that day

Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 10, 9:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BRO	Brooks, Kenedy	55 min
May 10, 10:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BRO	Kenedy	59 min
May 10, 11:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BRO	Willacy	30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1999 Every tornado warning in 1999 Tornadoes in 1999

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.