Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Brownsville, TX
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.
- 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
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Starr | 53 min |
| May 17, 7:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Zapata | 59 min |
| May 17, 7:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Jim Hogg | 58 min |
| May 17, 7:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo, Starr | 52 min |
| May 17, 8:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Brooks, Kenedy | 60 min |
| May 17, 8:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy | 77 min |
| May 17, 8:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Starr | 42 min |
| May 17, 9:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BRO | Brooks | 28 min |
| May 17, 9:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Jim Hogg | 39 min |
| May 17, 9:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Kenedy | 46 min |
| May 17, 9:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy | 72 min |
| May 17, 9:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Brooks | 72 min |
| May 17, 9:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy | 69 min |
| May 17, 9:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BRO | Cameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Willacy | 33 min |
| May 17, 10:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BRO | Cameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Willacy | 45 min |
| May 17, 10:21 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | BRO | 84 min | |
| May 17, 10:21 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | BRO | 84 min | |
| May 17, 10:43 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BRO | Kenedy | 3 hr |
| May 17, 11:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Cameron | 40 min |
| May 17, 11:55 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | BRO | 13 hr | |
| May 17, 11:55 PM CDT | Special Marine Warning | BRO | 13 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.