Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2001

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Amarillo, TX

September 16, 2001Potter County, Randall County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this flash flood warning at Sep 16, 2001, 6:06 PM CDT for Potter County, Randall 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 outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties.

The facts

Issued
Sep 16, 2001, 6:06 PM CDT (23:06 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 2001, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Potter County, TX, Randall County, TX

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:05 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 18 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2001-09-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 377 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2001-09-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -79 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
377 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
695 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-58 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KAMA 162308
FFWAMA
TXC375-381-170200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
606 PM CDT SUN SEP 16 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  POTTER COUNTY IN TEXAS
  RANDALL COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 900 PM CDT

* AT 603 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
  WAS OCCURRING FROM 10 MILES EAST OF AMARILLO TO 7 MILES NORTHEAST
  OF BUSHLAND...OR FROM 10 MILES EAST OF AMARILLO TO 10 MILES        
  NORTHWEST OF AMARILLO...MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MPH. STRONG STORMS IN    
  SOUTHWEST RANDALL COUNTY NEAR BUFFALO LAKE WILL ALSO PRODUCE FLASH 
  FLOODING.  THE POTTER COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED FLOODING     
  ALONG HIGHWAY 287 ON THE NORTH SIDE OF AMARILLO.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  AMARILLO...BUFFALO LAKE...BUSHLAND...CANYON...LAKE TANGLEWOOD...
  PALO DURO CANYON AND UMBARGER

DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS FLOODED ROADWAYS. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR
IN AUTOMOBILES.

LAT...LON 3537 10164 3534 10215 3477 10216 3476 10164

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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 16, 3:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 16, 3:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
225 PM CDT SUN SEP 16 2001

CORRECTED THE PRELIM CCF TEMPERATURES FOR TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT

THE FORECAST CHALLENGE THIS RUN SHOULD BE PINPOINTING HOW WIDESPREAD
AND WHERE AREAS OF PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED A NEARLY STATIONARY AND POORLY DEFINED COLD
FRONT STRETCHING FROM EASTERN COLORADO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE EASTERN
TEXAS PANHANDLE. AT UPPER-LEVELS...A SHORTWAVE OVER THE FAR EASTERN
TEXAS PANHANDLE WILL EXIT THE REGION TONIGHT WITH WEAK RIDGING IN ITS
WAKE. EXPECT SCATTERED CONVECTION BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INITIATING
OFF THE MOUNTAINS AS A RESULT OF HEATING. THIS CONVECTION SHOULD
INCREASE IN COVERAGE ALONG THE INSTABILITY AXIS ACROSS THE
NORTHWESTERN ZONES TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE CONVECTION THIS MORNING
OVER THE EASTERN ZONES MAY MAKE IT HARD FOR THE EASTERN ZONES TO
RECOVER LATE THIS AFTERNOON...LIMITING WIDESPREAD CONVECTION THERE
TONIGHT. AFTER A BREAK EARLY MONDAY...SHORTWAVE ENERGY WILL INCREASE
MONDAY AFTERNOON AS DISTURBANCES PUSH ACROSS COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO.
LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FEATURES SHOULD ALLOW MORE WIDESPREAD
CONVECTION TO DEVELOP ESPECIALLY NORTH OF A FRONT SITUATED OVER THE
NORTHERN ZONES MONDAY AFTERNOON. AS INSTABILITY MAXIMIZES ALONG AND
SOUTH OF THE FRONT AND A STRONG LOW-LEVEL JET DEVELOPS JUST TO THE
EAST MONDAY EVENING...STRONG CONVECTION MAY INITIATE ESPECIALLY IF
THE SHORTWAVE PHASES WITH THE PARAMETERS AT LOWER-LEVELS. EXPECT THE
MOST WIDESPREAD STORMS IN THE NORTHEAST EXTENDING WEST ALONG THE
FRONT. AFTER POTENTIALLY HEAVY RAIN...STRATIFORM RAIN SHOULD FOLLOW
LATE MONDAY NIGHT WITH SOME CLEARING TUESDAY AS THE SHORTWAVE EXITS.
THE COLD FRONT SHOULD BE WELL SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA BY TUESDAY
MORNING WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO FOLLOW TUESDAY AND TUESDAY
NIGHT.

FOR LATER PERIODS...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN BUILDING INTO
THE CENTRAL ROCKIES TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT AS A LARGE UPPER-
LEVEL TROUGH BEGINS TO EXIT THE REGION. NORTHWEST FLOW BEHIND THE
TROUGH MAY ALLOW POST-FRONTAL SHOWERS OR STORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS
THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. AS THE WHOLE SYSTEM EXITS
WEDNESDAY...SHOWERS SHOULD DECREASE AND COOL SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE
SHOULD SETTLE IN OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. AS A RESULT...COOLER
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TOWARD THE
END OF THE WEEK...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS INDICATE THAT A RIDGE WILL
BUILD IN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN STATES THURSDAY. THIS MAY RESULT IN
DRIER CONDITIONS AND WARMER TEMPERATURES AS WE APPROACH THE WEEKEND.

AMA 61/88 58/78 55 435
DHT 58/85 56/76 52 635

.AMA...
TX...NONE.
OK...NONE.

CB

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 16, 1:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 6 minutes before
OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-162100-

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
100 PM CDT SUN SEP 16 2001

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE WESTERN
AND CENTRAL TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THROUGH TONIGHT.

THE SLIGHT RISK AREA IS MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM LIBERAL
KANSAS TO CANYON TEXAS.

SEVERAL SURFACE BOUNDARIES REMAIN ACROSS THE PANHANDLES FROM LAST
NIGHT/S THUNDERSTORMS. THESE BOUNDARIES WILL TEAM UP WITH SURFACE
AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE AND DAYTIME HEATING TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. AN UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE
TOWARD THE PANHANDLES THIS EVENING AND WILL PROVIDE INSTABILITY
ALOFT FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE.

A COLD POOL OF AIR ALOFT OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL SLOWLY
SPREAD INTO THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL PARTS OF THE PANHANDLES.  THE
COLD AIR ALOFT WILL HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HAIL AND DOWNBURST
WINDS IN THE STORMS.

HEAVY RAIN...WHICH COULD CAUSE FLASH FLOODING...IS ALSO A THREAT
FROM THESE STORMS TONIGHT AS THEY WILL HAVE PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO
WORK WITH. MANY PLACES IN THE NORTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE RECEIVED 1.5 TO 2.5 INCHES OF RAIN LAST
NIGHT. ANY MORE RAIN ON THE ALREADY SATURATED GROUND WILL ONLY
AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING POTENTIAL.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ACROSS THE SLIGHT
RISK AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON
OR EVENING.

GOEHRING

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 16, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAPotter, Randall64 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 2001Every flash flood warning in 2001

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.