Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1999

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 1, 1999Gaines County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this flash flood warning at May 1, 1999, 8:42 PM CDT for Gaines County, Texas. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 1999, 8:42 PM CDT (01:42 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 1999, 11:45 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Gaines County, TX

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:45 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 97 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1999-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 844 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1999-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 143 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
844 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
804 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
232 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMAF 020145
FFWMAF
TXC165-020445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND-ODESSA TX
842 PM CDT SAT MAY 1 1999

THE MIDLAND-ODESSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  GAINES COUNTY IN TEXAS
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF SEMINOLE

* UNTIL 1145 PM CDT

* AT 840 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED VERY HEAVY
  RAIN 6 MILES SOUTH OF PAYNES CORNER...OR ABOUT 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  SEMINOLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE...  
  NEAR SEMINOLE AT 900 PM CDT
  OVER FAIRVIEW AT 915 PM CDT
  NEAR CEDAR LAKE AT 940 PM CDT

NEVER DRIVE INTO A FLOODED STRETCH OF ROAD. THE DEPTH OF WATER MAY BE
ENOUGH TO FLOAT YOUR VEHICLE.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS...ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK
HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 32l94 10289 3253 10304 3254 10221 3294 10223

MARTIN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 1, 1:45 PM CDT, 6 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 1:45 PM CDT, 6 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
145 PM CDT SAT MAY 1 1999

BLOCKING PATTERN OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. FINALLY BEGINNING TO BREAK UP.
MAIN CHALLENGE THIS PERIOD IS TO FIGURE OUT THE JUST HOW QUICKLY THE
UPPER LOW WILL LIFT OUT OF THE SWRN US...AND MUCH OF THIS WILL DEPEND
ON THE TIMING AND MOVEMENT OF THE OTHER LOW OFF THE SERN U.S. COAST.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE SERN LOW WILL FINALLY BEGIN TO PROGRESS EWD...AND
THIS SHOULD ALLOW THE LOW TO OUR WEST TO BEGIN LIFTING OUT ON
SUNDAY. FOR TONIGHT...SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS THE MAIN CONCERN. I
BELIEVE THE DRYLINE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE EWD THIS AFTERNOON AND
KICK OFF STORMS. WITH THE LOW BEGINNING TO LIFT...I EXPECT A SERIES
OF SHORTWAVES TO EJECT OUT OF THE SYSTEM...AND THIS WILL PROBABLY
KEEP CONVECTION ACTIVE TONIGHT. TOMORROW THE LOW BEGINS TO LIFT...BUT
I STILL EXPECT SOME LINGERING CLOUDS AND PCPN DURING THE MORNING
HOURS. LOOKS LIKE SOME DRIER SFC AIR WILL SWEEP IN FROM THE WEST
DURING THE AFTERNOON TOMORROW AS THE SFC LOW LIFTS NORTH...BUT WINDS
SHOULD QUICKLY SWITCH BACK AROUND TO A SLY OR SELY DIRECTION LATE
SUNDAY NIGHT...AND THEN BECOME MORE SWLY DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY FOR
A BIT OF A WARMUP. UPPER LEVEL FLOW PATTERN ON MONDAY SHOULD BE
NEARLY ZONAL.

PRELIM TEMPS/POPS...
MAF 52/78/53/85 4200
CNM 52/81/52/87 3100
MRF 45/77/45/80 2100
P07 58/79/56/86 3100

DJK

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 1, 7:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
725 PM CDT SAT MAY 01 1999

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

345 PM     SEMINOLE                  TX   FLOODING
05/01/99   GAINES                         F.M. ROAD 303 NEAR HWY 180
                                          IMPASSIBLE

438 PM     15 SE SEMINOLE            TX   TORNADO
05/01/99   GAINES                         SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO
                                          NEAR HWYS 1429 AND 422

450 PM     15 W LAMESA               TX   TORNADO
05/01/99   DAWSON                         SHERIFF OFFICE REPORTED
                                          TORNADO NEAR SAND

515 PM     10 S WELCH                TX   TORNADO
05/01/99   DAWSON                         SHERIFF OFFICE REPORTED
                                          TORNADO ON GROUND

536 PM     10 W TARZAN               TX   TORNADO
05/01/99   MARTIN                         SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          TORNADO AT INTERSECTION
                                          HWYS 349 AND 176

629 PM     TARZAN                    TX   TORNADO
05/01/99   MARTIN                         PUBLIC REPORTED TORNADO

01

The office that day

Everything else NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 9:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFGaines28 min
May 1, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFAndrews, Gaines34 min
May 1, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFDawson58 min
May 1, 11:14 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMAFBorden, Dawson61 min
May 1, 11:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFScurry64 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1999Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.