Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Brownsville, TX

December 30, 20024 counties in Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 30, 2002, 5:12 PM CST for 4 counties in Texas. It was in force for 48 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
Dec 30, 2002, 5:12 PM CST (23:12 UTC)
Expired
Dec 30, 2002, 6:00 PM CST
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Brooks County, TX, Jim Hogg County, TX, Starr County, TX, Zapata County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 165 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:12 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 30, 4:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 2002-12-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 126 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 12:00Z on 2002-12-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 128 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
126 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-396 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
665 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

436 
WFUS54 KBRO 302312
TORBRO
TXC047-247-427-505-310000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
511 PM CST MON DEC 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN STARR COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
  SOUTHWESTERN BROOKS COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
  SOUTHEASTERN ZAPATA COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
  SOUTHERN JIM HOGG COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS

* UNTIL 600 PM CST

* AT 500 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 13 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF GUERRA...OR 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF FALCON DAM...MOVING
  EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   GUERRA BY 520 PM CST.

DO NOT USE HIGHWAY OVERPASSES FOR SHELTER. OVERPASSES DO NOT PROVIDE 
PROTECTION FROM TORNADIC WINDS. VEHICLES STOPPED UNDER BRIDGES BLOCK 
TRAFFIC AND PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GETTING OUT OF THE STORMS PATH AND 
TO SHELTER. IF YOU CANNOT DRIVE AWAY FROM THE TORNADO...GET OUT OF 
YOUR VEHICLE AND LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AS A LAST RESORT.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A 
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE 
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 2683 9906 2665 9903 2677 9835 2712 9851

PHILO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 30, 4:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg, Zapata34 min
Dec 30, 5:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg, Starr, Zapata44 min
Dec 30, 5:09 PM CSTTornado WarningBROJim Hogg, Zapata51 min
Dec 30, 5:35 PM CSTTornado WarningBROBrooks40 min
Dec 30, 5:59 PM CSTTornado WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo, Kenedy46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.