Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

March 27, 2001Wharton County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 27, 2001, 8:35 PM CST for Wharton County, Texas. It was in force for 40 min. 1 report came from 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, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 2001, 8:35 PM CST (02:35 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 2001, 9:15 PM CST
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:23 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 27, 8:40 PM CSTHail 0.75El Campo, 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 nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 189 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2001-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 579 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2001-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 168 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
579 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
595 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
277 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
6.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KHGX 280236
SVRHOU
TXC481-280315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
835 PM CST TUE MAR 27 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WHARTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 915 PM CST

* AT 836 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11   
MILES SOUTHWEST OF EL CAMPO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE 
PRIMARY THREAT FROM THIS STORM WILL BE 3/4 TO 1 INCH SIZED HAIL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  EL CAMPO
  PIERCE

MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR
BUSINESS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE COUNTY SHERIFF...LOCAL POLICE...
OR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 2920 9652 2906 9633 2919 9616 2934 9628

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 Mar 27, 2:55 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 2:55 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
255 PM CST TUE MAR 27 2001

WIDESPREAD ELEVATED CONVECTION OVER NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF CWFA
W/ISOLATED STRONGER CELLS OVER WESTERN ZONES. NEW AREA OF CONVECTION
INCREASING EXTREME SW PORTION OF CWFA. TEMPERATURES LOWERING DUE
TO EVAPORATIONAL COOLING FROM PRECIPITATION. MODELS ACTUALLY IN
CLOSE AGREEMENT NEXT 24 HOURS BRINGING BRUNT OF HEAVIER PRECIP OVER
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ZONES (ALONG AND N OF I-10). UPPER TROUGH WILL
TAKE EARLY THU MORNING. MEANWHILE...SPOKES OF ENERGY WILL CONTINUE
TO GIVE OUR AREA CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA. COASTAL TROUGH/FRONT AND
DEVELOPING WEAK SURFACE LOW ALONG TROUGH WILL FOCUS HEAVIER PRECIP
OVER COASTAL AND ADJACENT ZONES ON WEDNESDAY. ETA BEING SURFACE LOW
SOMEWHAT FARTHER OFFSHORE WHILE AVN MOVES IT SLOWER ALONG COASTLINE.
SURFACE LOW SHOULD BE E OF REGION LATE WED NIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY.
WILL COMPROMISE ON MODEL SOLUTIONS. WILL MENTION LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL IN FORECAST PACKAGE. SPSHOU ALREADY OUT MENTIONING 1-3
INCHES LOCALLY THROUGH EVENT LASTING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WILL MENTION
OF SLIGHT CHC PRECIP THURSDAY AS AREA REMAINS UNDER BROAD
LONG WAVE TROUGH. WILL ADD MENTION PRECIP TO OUTLOOK (LATE SATURDAY
-EARLY SUNDAY PERIOD) AS COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL IMPULSE MOVES
THROUGH REGION. PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN TIGHT ACROSS MARINE
WATERS...WILL CONTINUE SCA COASTAL WATERS AND SCEC BAYS.

.HGX...SCA 0-60 NM COASTAL WATERS FROM MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL
       TO HIGH ISLAND. SCEC BAYS.

37/46

CLL TE 046/058 047/067 051 +96
IAH TE 049/061 050/069 052 +98
GLS TE 055/065 059/069 060 ++8

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 27, 3:40 PM CST, 4 hours 55 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>213-281200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
340 PM CST TUE MAR 27 2001

...AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED INTO WEDNESDAY...

PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS
INTO WEDNESDAY. 1 TO 2 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL CAN BE
EXPECTED.

BE ALERT FOR HIGH STANDING WATER IN AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE. WHEN
DRIVING...SLOW DOWN AND AVOID SUDDEN SWERVES TO KEEP FROM
HYDROPLANING.

WHILE SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME AREA
WATERWAYS COULD REACH BANKFULL LEVELS. SOIL MOISTURE LEVELS
ARE HIGH DUE TO OUR RECENT ABUNDANT RAINFALL. THIS LEADS TO INCREASED
RUNOFF INTO AREA STREAMS AND CREEKS...CAUSING THEM TO RISE MORE
RAPIDLY.

SINCE THE FREEZING LEVEL IN THE ATMOSPHERE IS RATHER LOW...A FEW OF
THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD ALSO PRODUCE HAIL.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL CROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN WILL END AS IT MOVES EAST
OF THE REGION.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL MEDIA AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
WEATHER AND HYDROLOGIC FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS.

END/46

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 28, 12:55 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers, Harris3 hr
Mar 28, 4:01 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXChambers, Fort Bend, Harris4 hr

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.