Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 141, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

October 12, 2001Polk County, San Jacinto County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 12, 2001, 7:53 PM CDT for Polk County, San Jacinto County, Texas. It was in force for 52 min. 2 reports 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: Oct 12, 2001, 7:53 PM CDT (00:53 UTC)
Expired: Oct 12, 2001, 8:45 PM CDT
In force: 52 min
Issued by: NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 135 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:56 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
Oct 12, 8:00 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Livingston, TX
Oct 12, 8:00 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Livingston, TX	Sheriff's office reported trees and power lines down in Livingston.

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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 184 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: 2537 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 640 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 70 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 102 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Oct 12, 2:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 12, 2:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before

SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
230 PM CDT FRI OCT 12 2001

KHGX LIGHTING UP WITH CONVECTION IN THE LAST 15 MINUTES. THE MAIN
FORECAST ISSUES ARE SEVERE/HEAVY RAIN THREAT THROUGH SAT AM. THE 12Z
NCEP MODELS ARE IN POOR AGREEMENT...INCLUDING THE FWC/MAV GUIDANCE.
OVERALL PREFER THE ETA. WILL BLEND MAV/FWC FOR MOST PERIODS.

DESPITE SIGNIFICANT MODEL CHANGES...OLD FASHIONED TECHNIQUES SUCH AS
PRESSURE/HEIGHT FALLS SEEM TO SERVE THE FORECAST BEST. NO MAJOR
CHANGES OTHER THAN TO PUSH BACK TIMING OF THE SQUALL LINE TO 08-14Z
(3-9 AM) FOR MOST OF THE CWA. CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON HAS THE
POTENTIAL FOR MINI-SUPERCELLS WITH ISOLD TORNADOES AND DAMAGING
WINDS AS OCCURRED ON THU. THE CHAMBERS COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED A
FUNNEL CLOUD 7N OF WINNIE AT 155 PM.

OTHERWISE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...ISOLD TORNADOES...AND HEAVY
RAIN/FLOODING ARE ALL POSSIBLE WITH THE SQUALL LINE TONIGHT. WILL
RETAIN FFA/RIVER FLOOD WATCH AND SEVERE MENTION. MARINE FORECAST
WILL UPGRADE TO SCA FOR ALL WATERS AS THE LLJ AND INFLOW BOOT WINDS
TONIGHT.

.HGX...FFA ALL ZONES TONIGHT.
       RIVER FA SAN JACINTO/SAN BERNARD/TRES PALACIOS BASINS.
       SCA BAYS AND 0-60NM GULF WATERS.

31/47/WT

PRELIMS...
CLL EU 064/070 050/077 055 +40
IAH TU 072/075 052/076 054 +60
GLS TU 076/076 062/074 065 880

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 12, 3:25 PM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before

GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227
-235>238-131000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
325 PM CDT FRI OCT 12 2001

...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TEXAS TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT...

A VERY STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEAST TEXAS
TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP INTO NORTH CENTRAL
TEXAS THIS EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF WINDS TURNING AND
STRENGTHENING WITH HEIGHT IN THE ATMOSPHERE...A VERY UNSTABLE
AIRMASS AT THE SURFACE...AND COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL LEAD TO A
HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY AS
THE STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES SOUTHEAST TEXAS. DAMAGING WINDS...
TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL ARE ALL POSSIBLE.

A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ALONG THE FRONT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE
LINE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT. THOUGH SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE
VIRTUALLY ALL NIGHT THE MAIN THREAT APPEARS TO BE BETWEEN 11 PM AND
6 AM FOR THE COLLEGE STATION AREA AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS...3 AM TO 9 AM FOR HOUSTON METRO AND CENTRAL
PORTIONS...4 AM TO 10 AM FOR COASTAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO EXPECTED WITH THE STORMS TONIGHT AND
EARLY SATURDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH
ISOLATED TOTALS OF 5 INCHES POSSIBLE BY LATE SATURDAY MORNING.
FLOODING OF LOW LYING ROADS AND FEEDERS WILL PROBABLY BE THE MAIN
PROBLEM.

THOUGH MOST PRECIPITATION WILL BE BE OVER BY NOON SATURDAY...THE
UPPER LOW PRESSURE AREA AND ASSOCIATED VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL
MOVE OVERHEAD DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. RESIDUAL MOISTURE MAY
CAUSE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THAT WILL HAVE THE
POTENTIAL PRODUCE LARGE HAIL. THOUGH IT IS A FAIRLY LOW
PROBABILITY...PORTIONS ALONG AND EAST OF I-45 WILL SEE THE BETTER
CHANCES OF THIS HAPPENING.

SINCE MANY OF THE STORMS WILL OCCUR WHEN PEOPLE ARE SLEEPING...IT
WOULD BE WISE TO MAKE SURE YOUR WEATHER RADIO IS TURNED ON SO YOU
WILL HEAR ANY WARNINGS THAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES FOR
YOUR AREA. THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE OBTAINED FROM YOUR FAVORITE
MEDIA OUTLET.

REMEMBER...THE BEST PLACE TO BE IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM OR TORNADO IS INSIDE A REINFORCED STRUCTURE AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

Local storm report, Oct 12, 5:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 12, 6:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
636 PM CDT FRI OCT 12 2001

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

0445 PM    4 W DAYTON                TX   WIND DAMAGE
10/12/01   LIBERTY                        ALONG FM 686, TRAILER
                                          ROOF DAMAGE.
                                          REPORTED BY MEDIA.

0452 PM    2 N DAYTON                TX   TORNADO
10/12/01   LIBERTY                        TORNADO DAMAGE ON TX
                                          321, 2 MILES N OF FM
                                          1960, EAST TO US 90.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 13, 12:18 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Burleson	57 min
Oct 13, 12:36 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Brazos, Washington	54 min
Oct 13, 1:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Grimes, Madison	56 min
Oct 13, 1:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Austin	62 min
Oct 13, 1:23 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Harris, Waller	67 min
Oct 13, 1:50 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Montgomery, Walker	55 min
Oct 13, 1:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Houston	50 min
Oct 13, 2:02 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HGX	Houston	43 min
Oct 13, 2:12 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity	63 min
Oct 13, 2:20 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Austin	25 min
Oct 13, 2:27 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Harris	63 min
Oct 13, 2:34 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HGX	Polk	41 min
Oct 13, 2:47 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Montgomery	43 min
Oct 13, 2:58 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HGX	Trinity	47 min
Oct 13, 3:14 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Polk	61 min
Oct 13, 3:24 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HGX	Liberty	51 min
Oct 13, 4:02 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	HGX		88 min
Oct 13, 4:16 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HGX	Chambers, Liberty	44 min
Oct 13, 5:20 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	HGX		115 min
Oct 13, 5:20 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	HGX		115 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2001 Every 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.