Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Brownsville, TX

May 17, 2002Cameron County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 11:05 PM CDT for Cameron County, Texas. It was in force for 40 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 17, 2002, 11:05 PM CDT (04:05 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 11:45 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Cameron County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:04 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
May 17, 11:05 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 63 MHarlingen, TXHarllingen ASOS measured a wind gust of 63 mph.

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

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 29 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3506 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 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
3506 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
830 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KBRO 180405
SVRBRO
TXC061-180445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1102 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CAMERON COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 1145 PM CDT

* AT 1102 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR IN BROWNSVILLE INDICATED SEVERE     
  THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 13 MILES NORTHEAST OF    
  RIO HONDO TO SAN BENITO TO 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAN BENITO...      
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY   
  PRODUCE DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
   RANCHO VIEJO...LOS FRESNOS BY 1115 PM CDT.
   LAGUNA VISTA BY 1130 PM CDT.
   BROWNSVILLE AND LAGUNA HEIGHTS BY 1135 PM CDT.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...BAYVIEW.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A STRONG
BUILDING. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS
PASSED.

$$

LAT...LON 2635 9745 2623 9784 2573 9731 2590 9712

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 17, 9:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 9:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
920 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

NOT MUCH TIME TO LOOK AT MODEL DATA TONIGHT AS VERY ACTIVE WEATHER
CONTINUES ACROSS THE CWA. INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OFF THE HIGHER
TERRAIN IN MEXICO CONTINUE TO FEED OFF EASTERLY INFLOW. INTENSE
STORMS ALSO ARE DRIFTING SOUTHWARD ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY. MERGING
AND COLLIDING CELLS AND BOUNDARIES ARE LEADING TO NEW DEVELOPMENT
OVER MAINLY HIDALGO AND BROOKS COUNTIES AT PRESS TIME. NUMEROUS
DAMAGE REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM ZAPATA COUNTY. LATEST
TORNADIC STORM MAY PRODUCE DAMAGE IN BROOKS COUNTY AS WELL.

POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING OVERNIGHT
CWA-WIDE. AN INCREASING THREAT OF HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING CAN BE
EXPECTED OVERNIGHT AS THIS BECOMES MORE OF A RAIN EVENT. IT APPEARS
THAT CAMERON COUNTY WILL LIKELY BE THE LAST AREA TO EXPERIENCE SOME
WEATHER TONIGHT. ZONES WERE UPDATED EARLIER TO HANDLE THESE
CONTINGENCIES.

MARINE...SEAS 4 FEET OFFSHORE WITH EAST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. SCAS
REMAIN IN EFFECT DUE TO AN EXPECTED INCREASE IN WINDS AND
ANTICIPATED CONVECTION.

SYNOPTIC...60...58
MESO-MARINE-AVIATION...52

INTERNET ADDRESS...WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO

.BRO...NONE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 7:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROStarr53 min
May 17, 7:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROZapata59 min
May 17, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo55 min
May 17, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg58 min
May 17, 7:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo, Starr52 min
May 17, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Kenedy60 min
May 17, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Willacy77 min
May 17, 8:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROStarr42 min
May 17, 9:02 PM CDTTornado WarningBROBrooks28 min
May 17, 9:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg39 min
May 17, 9:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROKenedy46 min
May 17, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Willacy72 min
May 17, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks72 min
May 17, 9:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Willacy69 min
May 17, 9:42 PM CDTTornado WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Willacy33 min
May 17, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Willacy45 min
May 17, 10:21 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO84 min
May 17, 10:21 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO84 min
May 17, 10:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBROKenedy3 hr
May 17, 11:55 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO13 hr
May 17, 11:55 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO13 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.