Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Brownsville, TX

May 17, 20024 counties in Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 2002, 10:15 PM CDT for 4 counties in Texas. It was in force for 45 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, 10:15 PM CDT (03:15 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cameron County, TX, Hidalgo County, TX, Kenedy County, TX, Willacy County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:16 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, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 73 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 
WFUS54 KBRO 180315
TORBRO
TXC061-215-261-489-180400-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1014 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN HIDALGO COUNTY  
  SOUTHERN KENEDY COUNTY 
  WILLACY COUNTY 
  NORTHERN CAMERON COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 1100 PM CDT

* AT 1012 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A TORNADO 10 MILES NORTH OF               
  RAYMONDVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED BE NEAR...
   RIO HONDO BY 1040 PM CDT.
   PORT MANSFIELD BY 1045 PM CDT.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IN IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY
OR CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY.

$$

LAT...LON 2679 9795 2657 9829 2618 9783 2616 9725
          2662 9734

SPEECE

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, 10:21 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

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.