Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 50, NWS Brownsville, TX

October 24, 2002Hidalgo County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 24, 2002, 5:29 PM CDT for Hidalgo County, Texas. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 24, 2002, 5:29 PM CDT (22:29 UTC)
Expired
Oct 24, 2002, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Hidalgo County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:31 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 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 45 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 12:00Z on 2002-10-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3131 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 12:00Z on 2002-10-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 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
3131 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
569 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
4.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KBRO 242229
SVRBRO
TXC215-242330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
527 PM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HIDALGO COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 525 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM MCCOOK TO 8 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF SULLIVAN CITY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 
  IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
   PALMVIEW...MISSION BY 615 PM CDT.

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.

IN ADDITION TO HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

LAT...LON 2666 9833 2629 9857 2608 9812 2642 9796

$$

MILLER

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 Oct 24, 3:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 3:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
300 PM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 727 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR DEEP SOUTH
TEXAS.

CONDITIONS ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS REMAIN UNSTABLE AND EXPECT
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.
THE PREVIOUS FORECAST SUITE HAD A GOOD DESCRIPTION OF THE OVER
DEVELOPING WEATHER SCENARIO...AND THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN
FINE AGREEMENT WITH THE CURRENT WEATHER.

THE STATIONARY BOUNDARY THAT HAD MOVED INTO THE LOWER TEXAS COAST IS
RETREATING NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT TODAY...AND WILL EVENTUALLY
BLEND WITH THE STATIONARY FRONT OVER SOUTH TEXAS. UPPER LEVEL FLOW
OVER SOUTH AND DEEP SOUTH TEXAS REMAINS DIFFLUENT...AND FAVORABLE
FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AS UPPER LEVEL IMPULSES EJECT FROM THE
MAIN VORT CENTER OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. AND NORTHERN MEXICO.

GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE AVAILABLE...24/12Z KBRO SOUNDING AT
2.10 INCHES OF PW...AND THE INCREASING MOISTURE FLUX...A FLOOD WATCH
WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS TONIGHT
AND SATURDAY. THE MOISTURE FROM T.S. KENNA CONTINUES TO MIGRATE
TOWARD DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND LEFTOVER MID LEVEL VORTICITY IS EXPECTED
TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY...INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF
WIDESPREAD RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS...WILL STAY CLOSE TO GUIDANCE WITH
60 PERCENT POP SATURDAY...AND GRADUALLY DECREASE CHANCES AS THE
ATMOSPHERE STABILIZES. A WIND SHIFT TO NORTH OR NORTHEAST IS
POSSIBLE BY SUNDAY...AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS MOVES ACROSS
TEXAS AND THE WIND PROFILE BECOMES DRIER AND COOLER.

ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD CANADIAN AIR IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH THROUGH
THE HIGH PLAINS EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE INITIAL COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO MOVE INTO SOUTH TEXAS WEDNESDAY...AND ARRIVE IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
LATE WEDNESDAY OR EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. WILL LEAN TOWARD THIS
SOLUTION AND MENTION BREEZY AND COOLER WEATHER FOR HALLOWEEN.

BIT OF TRIVIA...DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS THIS SUNDAY MORNING AT 2
AM...SO CLOCKS SHOULD BE SET BACK ONE HOUR...RETURNING TO STANDARD
TIME.

MARINE DISCUSSION...AT 1 PM BUOY REPORTED SE WINDS AT 14 KTS WITH
GUSTS TO 17 KTS AND SEAS 4 FT AT 5 SEC. AT 2 PM BUOY002 REPORTED SE
WINDS AT 16 KT WITH GUSTS TO 19 KT AND SEAS 3 FT AT 6 SEC. MCS
TRAVERSING S CNTRL TX HAS HALTED ITS SE MOVMT...AND IS HEADED ENE
EARLY THIS AFTN AS COASTAL TROUGH DRIFTED N. WILL BACK OFF TO ISOLD
SHRA TONIGHT...BECMG SCT LATE AS AVN HAS VORT MAX CROSSING UPPER
COASTAL WATERS BTWN 06Z AND SUNRISE FRI...AS COLD FRONT CROSSES N
TX. CONCURRENTLY...SFC LOW OVER W TX SLIDES DOWN THE RIO GRANDE TO
THE COAST...INCRG SPG OVER COASTAL WATERS BUT LOOKS LIKE WINDS/SEAS
WILL REMAIN JUST BELOW SCA CRITERIA FRI NIGHT...AS SFC RIDGE OVER NE
GULF IS ONLY 1015MB. BY SAT...SFC HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD
BEHIND LOW OVER S TX COASTAL WATERS WITH WINDS AND SEAS AT SCEC
LEVEL. FRONT CLEARS COASTAL AREA BY MIDNIGHT SAT...SO WILL SCALE
BACK TO SCT TSRA AND ISOLD FOR SUN. LATE SUN...SFC CENTER CROSSES
THE MISSISSIPPI...RESULTING IN VEERING WINDS OVER COASTAL
WATERS...AS SFC TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER W TX. NEXT SHORT WAVE
APPROACHES SRN PLAINS EARLY TUE...INCRG CHC TRSA OVER COASTAL WATERS
AND BRINGING WEAK FRONTAL PASSAGE TO COASTAL WATERS BY LATE TUE WITH
NO SIG INCR IN WINDS AND SEAS.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES ONLY...

BRO TW 076/084 074/083 072 40/50/50/60/50
HRL TW 074/084 073/083 070 40/50/50/60/60
MFE TW 074/083 074/084 073 50/60/70/70/60
RGC TW 073/082 072/082 070 50/60/70/70/60
SPI WW 076/084 075/084 075 30/40/50/50/40

SYNOPTIC...VANSPEYBROECK
AVIATION/MESO/MARINE...SIERRA

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

.BRO...FFA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...TXZ248>252.
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 24, 4:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
TXZ248>257-251100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
415 PM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE
REGION THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THESE SHOWERS WILL BE MOST
CONCENTRATED OVER BROOKS...KENEDY...JIM HOGG...STARR AND ZAPATA
COUNTIES...WHERE THEY ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING.

THUS...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE COUNTIES
THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS HAZARDOUS
WEATHER SITUATION...PLEASE REFER TO THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH ISSUED BY
THIS OFFICE AT 356 PM CDT.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT
MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...NUISANCE FLOODING AND SMALL HAIL.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT OVER ZAPATA...STARR...JIM
HOGG...BROOKS...AND KENEDY COUNTIES DUE TO POSSIBLE FLOODING.
EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE ASKED TO MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS CLOSELY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTH LATE SATURDAY...WHILE
TROPICAL MOISTURE MOVES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. THIS WILL GENERATE
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY
PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN RECENTLY AFFECTED
BY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH FLOODING.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 24, 11:43 AM CDT, 5 hours 46 minutes before
TXZ248>257-241945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1143 AM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS UNTIL 4 PM TODAY...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS IS LIKELY FROM TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
VALID UNTIL 400 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE
COUNTIES OF JIM HOGG...BROOKS AND KENEDY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS TO OCCUR IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL THE SIZE OF A DIME
OR LARGER...STRONG WINDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER AND EVEN TORNADOES.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS MOVING ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS TODAY
AND WILL TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. LATE THIS
MORNING...THE BROWNSVILLE RADAR DETECTED AN AREA OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH ACROSS WEBB COUNTY TOWARD
DUVAL COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
MOVE INTO NORTHERN BROOKS AND KENEDY COUNTIES EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON...AND ARE LIKELY TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL AS
WELL AS BRIEF DOWNPOURS RESULTING IN LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION AND THE LATEST OFFICIAL WEATHER
FORECASTS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS ARE AVAILABLE FROM YOUR BROWNSVILLE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO OR LISTEN TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

59
Special weather statement, Oct 24, 1:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
TXZ248>257-242100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
130 PM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR STARR...ZAPATA...JIM HOGG...BROOKS AND
KENEDY COUNTIES IS LIKELY FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR THE COUNTIES OF JIM HOGG...BROOKS AND KENEDY THIS
AFTERNOON.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS MOVING ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS TODAY
AND IS GENERATING NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE COASTAL BEND AREA
THIS AFTERNOON. AT 130 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER
RADAR IN BROWNSVILLE DETECTED NUMEROUS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH ACROSS THE COASTAL BEND AREA TOWARDS THE CORPUS
CHRISTI AREA.

ALTHOUGH MOST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY REMAIN NORTH OF
BROOKS...JIM HOGG AND KENEDY COUNTIES...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS
WILL LIKELY REDEVELOP OVER STARR...ZAPATA...JIM HOGG...BROOKS AND
KENEDY COUNTIES LATER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.  THIS REDEVELOPMENT
WILL LIKELY REQUIRE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THESE COUNTIES TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION AND THE LATEST OFFICIAL WEATHER
FORECASTS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS ARE AVAILABLE FROM YOUR BROWNSVILLE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO OR LISTEN TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

SPEECE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 24, 4:13 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO107 min
Oct 24, 4:13 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO107 min
Oct 24, 6:11 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO2 hr
Oct 24, 6:11 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO2 hr
Oct 24, 6:18 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBROHidalgo117 min
Oct 24, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo67 days
Oct 24, 6:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBROKenedy82 min

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.