Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 60, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

September 15, 2002La Salle County, McMullen County, Webb County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this flash flood warning at Sep 15, 2002, 3:47 AM CDT for La Salle County, McMullen County, Webb County, Texas. It was in force for 3 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
Sep 15, 2002, 3:47 AM CDT (08:47 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 2002, 6:45 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties La Salle County, TX, McMullen County, TX, Webb County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 156 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:50 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 flash flood 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 173 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2308 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 58 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
2308 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
862 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
4.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KCRP 150847
FFWCRP
TXC283-311-479-151145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
338 AM CDT SUN SEP 15 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  LA SALLE COUNTY IN TEXAS
  WEST MCMULLEN COUNTY IN TEXAS
  NORTHEASTERN WEBB COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 645 AM CDT

* AT 333 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG HIGHWAY 44 IN WEBB COUNTY AND EXTENDING NORTHWARD 
  TOWARD COTULLA TO FOWLERTON TO TILDEN. THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING THE 
  HEAVY RAIN ARE NEARLY STATIONARY. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED RAINFALL 
  ESTIMATES OF UP TO 4 INCHES OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF 
  LASALLE COUNTY...WITH UP TO 3 INCHES SOUTH OF COTULLA AND NEAR 2 INCHES
  SOUTH OF FOWLERTON. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE
  POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 2853 9932 2799 9925 2794 9881 2807 9883
          2846 9849
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS74 KCRP 151041
FFSCRP
TXC283-297-311-479-151330-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
535 AM CDT SUN SEP 15 2002

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES OF LA
SALLE...MCMULLEN AND WEBB UNTIL 645 AM CDT AND LIVE OAK UNTIL 
800 AM CDT...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUE ALONG A STALLED COLD 
FRONT LOCATED FROM NORTH OF LAREDO TO ARTESIA WELLS...TILDEN...CHOKE 
CANYON...THREE RIVERS AND BEEVILLE. DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES 
INDICATE UP TO 4 INCHES HAS FALLEN BETWEEN COTULLA...ARTESIA 
WELLS...FOWLERTON AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 44 IN WEBB COUNTY...WITH 
GREATER THAN 8 INCHES ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST LASALLE COUNTY. 

THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE SAME AREA THROUGH 8 AM 
CDT. ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCH HOURLY RAINFALL RATES ARE EXPECTED 
ACROSS THE AREA...WHICH WILL AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING CONDITIONS.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT. PEOPLE IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD TAKE ALL THE NECESSARY
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND
IMMEDIATELY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST FLOODING INFORMATION.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/CRP

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 15, 3:00 AM CDT, 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 15, 3:00 AM CDT, 47 minutes before
COASTAL BEND FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
300 AM CDT SUN SEP 15 2002

DISCUSSION...CONVECTION DEVELOPING ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN
FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS MORNING IN CONJUNCTION WITH INCREASING
PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ON THE VERTEX OF A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING
NORTHWARD FROM DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.  MESOETA DATA APPEARS TO BE AROUND
6 HOURS TOO SLOW WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THIS SHORTWAVE..HOWEVER GIVEN
THE CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT FARTHER TO THE SOUTH..IT APPEARS THE
CONVECTION TO THE WEST IS MOST LIKELY ASSOCIATED WITH MOISTURE
ADVECTION COLLIDING WITH A SUBTLE PRE-FRONTAL TROF OFF THE
ESCARPMENT PER MSAS STREAMLINE DATA.

SFC COLD FRONT BEST DEPICTED WITH THE POSITIVE ISALLOBARIC FIELD ON
MSAS WHICH ILLUSTRATES A SWATH OF 2-3 MB PRESSURE RISE COUPLETS FROM
THE BIG BEND NORTHEASTWARD TO MINERAL WELLS WITH THE SFC BOUNDARY
LOCATED SLIGHTLY TO THE EAST AND SOUTH ALONG A TYLER TO JUNCTION
LINE.  GIVEN THE PRESSURE RISES..THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH TO
THE SOUTH AND STALL IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA THIS AFTERNOON.  AS A
RESULT..HIGH PWATS AND SUFFICIENT MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WILL BE
PRESENT OVER THE CWA TO GENERATE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS.  EXPECT A BREAK IN COVERAGE DURING THE MID AFTERNOON
HOURS AS SFC MOISTURE CONVERGENT FIELDS ALIGN WITH ACTUAL FRONT TO
THE NORTH..WITH CONVECTION BECOMING MORE SCATTERED OVERNIGHT INTO
EARLY MONDAY.  OMEGA FIELDS AND INCREASING 850MB JET MONDAY NIGHT
SUGGESTS ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL..BEFORE MID-LEVEL TROF PASSES
LATER TUESDAY AND LOWERS THE MOISTURE DEPTH WHICH WILL DECREASE THE
POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION THROUGH MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.

EXTENDED MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES THE TREND OF DELAYING UPCOMING
FRONTAL PASSAGES..WITH THE PREVIOUS FRIDAY FRONT NOW SCHEDULED FOR
SATURDAY.  GIVEN THE DECREASE IN MOISTURE DEPTH BEHIND THE PRESENT
SYSTEM..WILL FORECAST SLIGHT CHANCE OF DIURNAL CONVECTION ACROSS THE
EAST FOR WED WITH LIMITED MOISTURE FOR MENTION THU/FRI ACROSS THE
ENTIRE CWA.

MARINE...WIND FCST WILL BE A BIT TRICKY TODAY. MODELS PROG A WEAK TO
MOD E TO SE FLOW THRU MON...AS CF STALLS ACROSS S CENTRAL TX/N CWA
AND SFC LOW PREVAILS OVR W CWA. WINDS ALONG THE COAST HAVE SLIGHTLY
DIMINISHED...HOWEVER...FEEL WINDS COULD STRENGTHEN TODAY FEEDING
INTO CONVECTION ALONG STALLED FRONT. ALSO...OUTFLOW BDRIES IN THE
AREA WILL RESULT IN VRB WIND DIR. WILL GO WITH THE PREVAILING SE
WIND AROUND 15 KNOTS AND ADD MENTION OF WIND AND SEAS HIGHER NEAR
TSRAS. RADAR SHOWING DVLPMNT ALONG THE COAST THIS AM. WITH
INCREASING MOISTURE AND UPPER LEV VORT MAXS...TSRA ACTIVITY WILL BE
ON THE INCREASE ACROSS THE WATERS TODAY AND MON. SFC LOW TREKS NE BY
TUE WITH HIGH PRESS OVR THE NW GULF RESULTING IN WEAK TO MOD SLY
FLOW TUE THRU THU...AND DECREASING PRECIP AS WELL.

THE FORECAST NUMBERS ARE NEXT...
CRP TT 089/074 088/074 090 76566
VCT TT 089/072 087/072 089 76567
LRD TT 089/075 087/075 092 76676

BML.76 / TE.81

.CRP...NONE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 15, 5:14 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPLive Oak3 hr
Sep 15, 5:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPBee3 hr
Sep 15, 6:54 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPLa Salle, McMullen3 hr
Sep 15, 7:35 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPBee, Live Oak3 hr
Sep 15, 9:44 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPLa Salle, McMullen3 hr
Sep 15, 10:28 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPBee, Live Oak3 hr
Sep 15, 1:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPNueces, San Patricio3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 2002Every flash flood 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.