Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Brownsville, TX

May 17, 2002Hidalgo County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 7:35 PM CDT for Hidalgo County, Texas. It was in force for 55 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2002, 7:35 PM CDT (00:35 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Hidalgo County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:39 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 98 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°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 180035
SVRBRO
TXC215-180130-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN HIDALGO COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 727 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE              
  THUNDERSTORMS 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LA GRULLA...OR 21 MILES SOUTH  
  OF RIO GRANDE CITY...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THIS LINE OF           
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF       
  NICKELS...AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
   SULLIVAN CITY BY 800 PM CDT.
   LA JOYA BY 810 PM CDT.
   PENITAS BY 815 PM CDT.
   PALMVIEW...ABRAM-PEREZVILLE BY 820 PM CDT.
   MISSION...LA HOMA BY 825 PM CDT.
   ALTON...MCALLEN BY 830 PM CDT.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...PALMHURST.

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 2622 9863 2593 9790 2635 9789 2652 9846

PHILO

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, 2:25 PM CDT, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 2:25 PM CDT, 5 hours 10 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
225 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

CORRECTED SKY CONDITIONS IN PRELIM NUMBERS SECTION

DAYS1-3...SHORT WAVE EXITING NE MEXICO OVERNIGHT MOVED ACROSS SOUTH
TEXAS GENERATING AN MCS WHICH BRUSHED NRN EDGE OF CWFA AND IS NOW
MOVING INTO SW LA. ANOTHER MCS CROSSED FROM THE OK PANHANDLE INTO NE
TX. THIS MCS IS AHEAD OF THE COOL FRONT WHICH NOW EXTENDS FROM CNTRL
OK SW TO THE BIG BEND AREA. AT NOON TIME...OUTFLOW LEFT BY
MCS...WHICH IS NOW INTO SW LA...CAN BE SEEN ON VISIBLE SAT IMAGERY
AS ABSENCE OF CLOUDS OVER SOUTH TEXAS NORTH OF DPSOTEX. LEADING EDGE
OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM SINTON TO ENCINAL TO JUST EAST OF
EAGLE PASS...BUT NO SIGN OF CONVECTION PROBABLY DUE TO SUBSIDENCE IN
NW FLOW UPSTREAM OF SHORT WAVE. OVER SOUTH EAST TX...LOOKS LIKE THE
SHORT WAVE HAS BEGUN TO TAP THETA-E RIDGE OVER COASTAL PLAINS AND NW
GULF...TRIGGERING NEW CONVECTION BETWEEN VICTORIA AND HOUSTON. RUC40
AT 15Z GENERATES SOME PRE-FRONTAL CONVECTION OVER COASTAL COUNTIES
OF FA BEFORE SHORT WAVE MOVES OFFSHORE DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE
AFTERNOON. BY THIS EVENING...SURFACE LOW OVER NE MEX AND THE COOL
FRONT OVER THE HILL COUNTRY PROVIDE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL FORCING TO KICK
OFF MORE CONVECTION BETWEEN LAREDO AND DEL RIO. THE 17/12Z AVN RUN
HAS A 1.52 PWAT BULLSEYE OVER NRN HALF OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TX...INCLUDING THE HILL COUNTRY...AND MOVES THIS AREA OF RAFL RIGHT
DOWN THE PIPE OVER THE LRGV BY 7 PM SAT. EITHER WAY...LOOKS LIKE
GOOD CHANCE FOR RAIN...SO WILL LEAVE POPS AS THEY ARE. NOTE THAT NW
FRINGE OF CWFA IS BACK IN AREA OF SLGT RISK FOR SVR TSTMS THROUGH
12Z SAT...AND IN AREA OF GENERAL TSTM ACTIVITY THROUGH SAT NIGHT.
AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE TOMORROW...HIGH PRESSURE SETS IN AT THE
SURFACE WITH UPPER LEVEL RIDGING ON SUNDAY. THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST
GRADUALLY THROUGH TUE...AHEAD OF THE NEXT SHORT WAVE CROSSING THE CA
COAST AND RIDING UP THE RIDGE INTO THE NRN PLAINS BY EARLY WED.

DAYS 4-7...AREA WINDS SHOULD VEER TO SE MON NIGHT...IN RESPONSE TO
LEE SIDE TROUGHING TRIGGERED BY NEGATIVELY-TILTED TROUGH CROSSING
THE CNTRL ROCKIES. WED LOOKS BREEZY...AS PGF TIGHTENS DUE TO SURFACE
TROUGH EXTENDING FROM NE MEX INTO THE NRN PLAINS. BY THU...SURFACE
LOW LIFTS OUT OF MONTANA ACROSS THE BORDER INTO ONTARIO AS NEXT
SHORT WAVE COMES ASHORE OVER SOCAL AND BAJA. LEE SIDE TROUGHING
AHEAD OF THIS SHORT WAVE WILL BRING RAIN FROM THE SOUTH PLAINS OF
TEXAS NORTHEAST INTO THE UPPER MS VALLEY. NEXT WEEK LOOKS LIKE LATE
NIGHT/EARLY MORNING CLOUDINESS WITH SUNNY AFTERNOONS. MIN TEMPS NEAR
NORMAL WITH MAX TEMPS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL EARLY TO ABOVE NORMAL
LATE IN THE WEEK.

MARINE...SEAS 5 FEET OFFSHORE WITH SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS.
PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RELAX AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER NORTH TX
MOVES SOUTHWARD TONIGHT. WILL CONTINUE SCEC OFFSHORE FOR NOW AND
LIKELY DROP SCA FOR THE BAY WATERS. SCA LIKELY NEEDED BY MORNING AS
THE FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE THE LOWER TEXAS COAST BEFORE SUNRISE. WIND
AND SEAS SHOULD SUBSIDE BY SUNDAY NIGHT AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE
OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS SETTLES INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. SCATTERED
CONVECTION EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT AS IT
MOVES ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS LATE TONIGHT INTO SAT MORNING. WINDS
WILL VEER TO THE EAST MONDAY AND TO THE SOUTHEAST TUESDAY AS THE SFC
HIGH MOVES EASTWARD. PRESSURE GRADIENT TO INCREASE WEDNESDAY WITH
LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND THE RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN
U.S.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
BRO EB 073 082/067 084/065 30/30/00/00/00
HRL EB 072 083/066 085/064 30/30/00/00/00
MFE EB 072 084/064 087/062 30/30/00/00/00
RGC EB 070 086/062 089/060 40/40/00/00/00
SPI EB 075 080/071 081/068 30/30/00/00/00

SYNOPTIC...59
MARINE-AVIATION...61

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

.BRO...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 17, 4:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
TXZ248>257-181200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
430 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE...EXPECTED TONIGHT...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE...ARE
EXPECTED ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH LATE SATURDAY MORNING.
THE AIRMASS OVER THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY IS VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE.
AN APPROACHING FRONTAL BOUNDARY...AS WELL AS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM
EARLIER CONVECTION...WILL SERVE AS THE FOCUS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THESE STORMS. AS WE GO THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING AND LATE NIGHT
HOURS THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STRONG STORMS WILL BE GUSTY
WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL...AND HAIL. ALL RESIDENTS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. CONTINUE TO MONITOR LOCAL
TELEVISION...RADIO AND CABLE OUTLETS...ALONG WITH NOAA WEATHER
RADIO...FOR ANY WARNINGS OR WEATHER STATEMENTS. PHILO

PHILO

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, 7:47 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, 11:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron40 min
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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.