Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 17, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

May 17, 2002Duval County, Jim Wells County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 1:41 AM CDT for Duval County, Jim Wells County, Texas. It was in force for 49 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2002, 1:41 AM CDT (06:41 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Duval County, TX, Jim Wells County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:44 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, 2:20 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52 EFreer, TX

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.

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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 113 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 2002-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3134 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 2002-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 111 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
3134 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
783 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
126 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.6
Supercell composite
8.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KCRP 170641
SVRCRP
TXC131-249-170730-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
140 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL DUVAL COUNTY IN TEXAS
  CENTRAL JIM WELLS COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 230 AM CDT

* AT 139 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF ROSITA...OR ABOUT 15 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF BENAVIDES...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED THROUGH 230 AM CDT...
   SAN DIEGO...
   NEAR BENAVIDES...
   ALICE...

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...  
  DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MILES AN HOUR...
  VERY FREQUENT AND DEADLY CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING...


PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. 
THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST 
OFFICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI.

LAT...LON 2798 9878 2753 9880 2750 9811 2799 9798

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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 16, 9:05 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 9:05 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
COASTAL BEND FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
905 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

CONVECTIVE MCS CONTINUES TO DEVELOP ALONG THE SFC TROF AXIS IN THE
PLAINS OF THE SIERRA MADRE...SOUTHWEST OF EAGLE PASS. THIS ACTIVITY
APPEARS TO BE MOVING INTO A VERY UNSTABLE REGION WITH A MINIMAL
CAP...WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO CROSS THE RIO GRANDE...AND
AFFECT NORTHERN PORTIONS OF WEBB...DIMMIT AND LASALLE COUNTIES.
GOES POINT SOUNDINGS FOR LRD SHOWS CAPE 4000 J/KG...WHILE CRP 00Z
SOUNDING RECORDED CAPE 3000 J/KG AND PWATS 2.00 INCHES. SO THERE IS
PLENTY OF MOISTURE IN PLACE. PRECIP AREA IS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 40
MPH AND COULD GENERATE SOME ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE WX...DUE TO
HIGH CAPES. THE MEAN FLOW IS WEAK...SO IT COULD ALSO SLOW DOWN AND
PRODUCE SOME HEAVY RAINFALL. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS AREA
CLOSELY THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...AND ISSUE UPDATES AS
NECESSARY.

WILL UPDATE ZONES TO ADD POPS IN THE WEST. WILL ALSO TWEAK WINDS TO
REFLECT SOME DECOUPLING. TEMPS LOOK FINE WITH MOIST ONSHORE FLOW AND
GOOD CLOUD COVER TONIGHT. NO CHANGES TO MARINE.

.CRP...SCA GMZ230-235.

75/81

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 12:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPWebb53 min
May 17, 12:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPDuval, Webb48 min
May 17, 4:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPGoliad, Victoria41 min
May 17, 4:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPBee67 min
May 17, 4:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPBee, Calhoun, Duval, Goliad, Live Oak, Refugio and 2 more3 hr
May 17, 4:46 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP119 min
May 17, 5:13 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPGoliad2 hr
May 17, 5:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPDuval, Jim Wells, Live Oak, McMullen2 hr
May 17, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPNueces, San Patricio3 hr
May 17, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPDuval2 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.