Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 20, NWS Brownsville, TX
NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 2001, 7:19 PM CDT for Brooks County, Texas. It was in force for 56 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 21, 2001, 7:19 PM CDT (00:19 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 2001, 8:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS Brownsville, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Brooks County, TX
The radar
The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 8:10 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 E | Falfurrias, TX | Brooks County Sheriff reported a large number of tree branches down in Falfurrias. |
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 21, 5:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 116 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
- 3375 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 717 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -43 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -31 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- -0.4
- Supercell composite
- -2.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KBRO 220020 SVRBRO TXC047-220115- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 719 PM CDT MON MAY 21 2001 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... NORTHERN BROOKS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS * UNTIL 815 PM CDT * AT 721 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 MILES EAST OF HEBBRONVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS... AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF... NORTHERN BROOKS COUNTIES. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE ADVANCE WARNING. PREPARE TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A STURDY STRUCTURE SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED. $$ LAT...LON 2731 9853 2710 9849 2716 9808 2738 9809 K SPEECE
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.
NWS Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 21, 3:00 PM CDT, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 21, 3:00 PM CDT, 4 hours 19 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 300 PM CDT MON MAY 21 2001 WELL-DEFINED UPPER TROUGH DIGGING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS HAS ALLOWED AN UNSEASONABLY COLD AIRMASS TO MOVE INTO CENTRAL PORTIONS OF TEXAS. AT 19Z THE POLAR FRONT EXTENDED FROM TEXARKANA TEXAS...TO LUFKIN...TO SOUTH OF AUSTIN...TO SOUTH OF DEL RIO...WITH MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES LAGGING THE INITIAL WINDSHIFT BY ROUGHLY 75 NM. STRONG LOW-LEVEL COLD ADVECTION AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE PRESSURE RISES OF 5 MB/3 HOURS ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS WILL ACCELERATE THE SOUTHWARD PROPAGATION OF THE FRONT...WITH FRONT LIKELY CROSSING THE RIO GRANDE RIVER AROUND MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MIDNIGHT. THE 21/12Z RUNS OF THE MESO-ETA AND AVN ARE BOTH ADVERTISING WEAK 500 MB FLOW. HOWEVER...BOTH MODELS ALSO GENERATE DECENT QPF ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA...POSSIBLY DUE TO A SUBTLE 500 MB SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND FAVORABLE LOCATION OF 300 MB JET APPROACHING THE AREA BY 22/06Z. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT A SQUALL LINE WILL FORM ALONG A PRE-FRONTAL WINDSHIFT LINE IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...AND WILL BACKBUILD INTO NORTHERN MEXICO WITH TIME. 21/12Z KBRO RAOB REVEALS WEAK MID-LEVEL FLOW...WHICH WILL LIKELY PRECLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLULAR STORM STRUCTURES...AND SHOULD LIMIT DAMAGING WIND THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER...CAPE GREATER THAN 4000 J/KG...AND A MODIFIED SOUNDING YIELDING CAPE OF 5500 J/KG SUGGEST THAT SEVERE HAIL THREAT IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY WITH ANY ORGANIZED CONVECTION. AS ALWAYS...STRENGTH OF INVERSION WILL DICTATE STRENGTH AND AREAL COVERAGE OF CONVECTION. MOST PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE OVER SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN POSSIBLE INTO MID-MORNING ON TUESDAY. A CLEARING TREND WILL BEGIN BY LATE TUESDAY. UPPER NORTHWEST FLOW WILL KEEP THE UPPER TROPOSPHERE DRY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WHILE RETURN FLOW WILL BEGIN ON WEDNESDAY AND PERSIST THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. FOR NOW...WILL MAINTAIN A PARTLY CLOUDY AND RAIN-FREE FORECAST...WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND. MARINE...CURRENT OBS FROM BUOY020 INDICATE SOUTHEAST WINDS AT 8 KNOTS PRODUCING 5 FOOT SEAS. SCA WILL LIKELY BE CONTINUED THROUGH TOMORROW...WITH STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS EXPECTED BEHIND COLD FRONT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. PRELIMINARY NUMBERS: BRO EB 068/079 063/083 067 50/20/00/00/00 HRL EB 067/079 062/084 066 50/20/00/00/00 MFE EB 066/077 061/086 066 50/20/00/00/00 RGC EB 064/075 059/087 066 50/20/00/00/00 SPI EB 072/079 066/079 069 $50/20/00/00/00 SYNOPTIC...DD (65) / AVIATION-MARINE...60 / MESO...SM INTERNET ADDRESS...WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO .BRO...SCA FOR GMZ130-150-155-170-175 TODAY.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 21, 4:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
TXZ248>257-220100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 415 PM CDT MON MAY 21 2001 ...SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS A POSSIBILITY TONIGHT ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS... A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE THROUGH DEEP SOUTH TEXAS LATER THIS EVENING. WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE REGION AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WILL PROVIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...AS THE FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG WITH SOME POSSIBLY REACHING SEVERE LEVELS. THE GREATEST THREAT WITH ANY STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS THAT DEVELOP IS LIKELY TO BE LARGE HAIL AND THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG DAMAGING WINDS. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN YOUR AREA. SPEECE
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
TXZ248>257-220300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 523 PM CDT MON MAY 21 2001 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH VALID UNTIL 10 PM CDT MONDAY EVENING FOR ALL OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF BROOKS...CAMERON...HIDALGO...JIM HOGG... KENEDY...STARR...WILLACY AND ZAPATA COUNTIES. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE CITIES AND TOWNS OF...FALFURRIAS... HEBBRONVILLE...MCALLEN...WESLACO...RIO GRANDE CITY...ZAPATA... BROWNSVILLE...HARLINGEN...SAN BENITO...RAYMONDVILLE...SARITA...PORT MANSFIELD...SOUTH PADRE ISLAND...PORT ISABEL...LAGUNA VISTA AND LAGUNA HEIGHTS. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE BAYS AND INLAND WATERWAYS... FROM BAFFIN BAY TO THE RIO GRANDE...AS WELL AS THE NEAR SHORE WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO THE RIO GRANDE OUT TO 20 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES. SPEECE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 7:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BRO | Brooks, Hidalgo, Kenedy | 62 min |
| May 21, 7:50 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BRO | Starr | 3 hr |
| May 21, 8:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo, Starr | 59 min |
| May 21, 8:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo | 61 min |
| May 21, 9:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Kenedy | 54 min |
| May 21, 9:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BRO | Hidalgo | 46 min |
| May 21, 10:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Jim Hogg | 50 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2001Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.