Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 31, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

October 13, 2001Liberty County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Oct 13, 2001, 3:24 AM CDT for Liberty County, Texas. It was in force for 51 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
Oct 13, 2001, 3:24 AM CDT (08:24 UTC)
Expired
Oct 13, 2001, 4:15 AM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Liberty County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:27 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
Oct 13, 3:44 AM CDTThunderstorm WindRomayor, TXSheriff's office reported a tree fell on a car in Romayor.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Oct 13, 12:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 173 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2001-10-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2537 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2001-10-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 70 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
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

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

438 
WFUS54 KHGX 130824
TORHOU
TXC291-130915-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
324 AM CDT SAT OCT 13 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LIBERTY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 415 AM CDT

* AT 317 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
  PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTH OF PLUM GROVE...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  PLUM GROVE
  CLEVELAND...NORTH CLEVELAND

MOVE TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON YOUR CAR
OR MOBILE HOME FOR A STRONG SHELTER NOW

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 3023 9512 3003 9505 3030 9475 3049 9476
          3045 9494 3037 9516

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Oct 13, 2:45 AM CDT, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 13, 2:45 AM CDT, 39 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
245 AM CDT SAT OCT 13 2001

SVR WX CURRENTLY ONGOING OVR THE CWA. WILL CLEAR THE NW ZONES FROM
TOR AND FFA WITH UPDATE. FNT CURRENTLY CUTTING A LN OVR THE NW QUAD
OF THE CWA. ITS E OF CLL AND BRENHAM. ETA HAS THE BOUNDARY CLRG THE
CWA BY NOONTIME. SHRA CONTS A BIT BEHIND FNT...SO WILL HAVE CAT POPS
EVERYWHERE FIRST PERIOD. WILL INDC SOME CLRG WRN ZONES THIS AFTN.
MODELS SHOW A DECR OF SHEAR AND CAPES NEXT 6-12 HRS. EVENT MAY END
UP WINDING DOWN TO A HVY PRECIP TYPE SITU.

REST OF FCST LEFT AS IS. LOOKS TRANQUIL FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK.
MOS TEMPS HAVE JUMPED FROM PREV RUNS FOR SUNDAY. GIVEN THICKNESSES
...THINK THEY ARE TOO HIGH.

.HGX...FFA ALL SE HALF THIS MORNING.
       SCA BAYS AND 0-60NM GULF WATERS.

46/35/47/42/DB

PRELIMS...
CLL WU 073/050 080/050 081 800
IAH TU 078/050 081/050 082 +00
GLS TU 080/060 078/064 080 +00

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 12, 9:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 54 minutes before
TXZ195>197-130800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
930 PM CDT FRI OCT 12 2001

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM FOR BRAZOS...BURLESON...AND
WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS ARE EXPECTED TO
SPREAD EASTWARD AND SHOULD APPROACH BRAZOS...BURLESON...AND
WASHINGTON COUNTIES AROUND MIDNIGHT.

THE HIGHLY UNSTABLE AND VERY MOIST AIR MASS WILL BE CONDUCIVE
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE STORMS AND A FEW TORNADOES.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND 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.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Oct 13, 12:20 AM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-238-131408-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1220 AM CDT SAT OCT 13 2001

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS
OF EASTERN TEXAS AND THE COASTAL WATERS UNTIL 500 AM CDT SATURDAY.

THIS INCLUDES BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GALVESTON
GRIMES...HARRIS...HOUSTON...LIBERTY...MADISON...MONTGOMERY...POLK
SAN JACINTO...WALKER...WALLER...WASHINGTON...AND WHARTON COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HOUSTON TEXAS TO 65 MILES
NORTHEAST OF LUFKIN TEXAS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND 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.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR
THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 12, 7:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk, San Jacinto52 min
Oct 13, 12:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBurleson57 min
Oct 13, 12:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Washington54 min
Oct 13, 1:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes, Madison56 min
Oct 13, 1:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin62 min
Oct 13, 1:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Waller67 min
Oct 13, 1:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery, Walker55 min
Oct 13, 1:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston50 min
Oct 13, 2:02 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXHouston43 min
Oct 13, 2:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk, San Jacinto, Trinity63 min
Oct 13, 2:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin25 min
Oct 13, 2:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris63 min
Oct 13, 2:34 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXPolk41 min
Oct 13, 2:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery43 min
Oct 13, 2:58 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXTrinity47 min
Oct 13, 3:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk61 min
Oct 13, 4:02 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX88 min
Oct 13, 4:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Liberty44 min
Oct 13, 5:20 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX115 min
Oct 13, 5:20 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX115 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2001Every tornado warning in 2001Tornadoes 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.