Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

October 24, 2002Nueces County, San Patricio County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this tornado warning at Oct 24, 2002, 2:19 PM CDT for Nueces County, San Patricio County, Texas. It was in force for 41 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
Oct 24, 2002, 2:19 PM CDT (19:19 UTC)
Expired
Oct 24, 2002, 3:00 PM CDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Nueces County, TX, San Patricio County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 10 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:20 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
Oct 24, 2:19 PM CDTTornado F2(Crp)Corpus Christi, TXOne Confirmed fatality and many injuries. The Tornado was first indentified by the public approximately 8 miles south of the CCI airport. Most extensive damage reported across Del MAr College.

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 tornado 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Oct 24, 11:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 24 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 12:00Z on 2002-10-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1063 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2002-10-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 125 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1063 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
575 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
197 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
4.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Oct 24, 1:55 PM CDT, 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 1:55 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
COASTAL BEND FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
155 PM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

FCST WILL REMAIN WET THROUGH SAT AS UPPER LOW CONTS TO THE WEST OF
THE REGION AND TAPS INTO MOISTURE FROM KENNA IN THE PAC ALONG WITH A
SERIES OF IMPULSES STREAMING ACROSS S TX.  QUESTION WILL BE TIMING
OF IMPULSES. TODAYS MCS SHOULD CONT EWD AND EXIT THE REGION WITHIN
THE NEXT FEW HOURS...WITH A BRIEF REPRIEVE THIS EVENING AND STARTING
ALL OVER AGAIN OVERNIGHT AND FRI. WILL CONT FFA THROUGH FRI.

AVN AND ETA DIVERGE ON SAT. AVN SHOWS BEST UPPER LEV DYNAMICS
SHIFTING NEWD BY SAT AFTERNOON AS A CF MOVES SWD ACROSS THE
CWA...WHILE ETA KEEPS MOISTURE AND S/WV OVER S TX THROUGH SAT
AFTERNOON AND CF STALLING WELL N OF THE AREA. THE AVN HAS PROGD THE
CF TO MV THRU THE AREA THE PAST 2 RUNS...HOWEVER THE UPPER LOW WILL
STILL BE TO THE WEST WITH A SW FLOW ALOFT...WHICH SHOULD HINDER THE
SWD PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT. A PREFRONTAL TROF OVR THE CWA AHD OF
CF ON FRI MAY MIMICK A CF MOVG THROUGH BY EARLY SAT AS ANOTHER S/WV
SWINGS ACROSS THE REGION. HOWEVER...FOR NOW WILL NOT BRING CF
THROUGH THE AREA...BUT WILL TWEAK WIND DIR MORE TO THE
E...ESPECIALLY NRN ZONES. WIND DIR WILL LIKELY BE VRB ANYWAY DUE TO
TSRAS AND OUTFLOW BDRIES.

BY SUN...UPPER LOW CONTS TO THE WEST WITH YET ANOTHER S/WV. NEAR 2
INCH PWATS ALSO IN PLACE. UPPER LOW SHIFT CLOSER TO THE REGION BY
MON WITH S TX UNDER STRONGER PORTION OF RRQ OF JET. WILL CONT WITH
CHANCE POPS SUN/MON. BY TUE...UPPER LOW FINALLY BEGINS TO EXIT THE
REGION WITH A BRIEF REPRIEVE FROM THE RAIN. RAIN CHANCES INCREASE
ONCE AGAIN WED AS A STRONG CF APPROACHES THE REGION...WITH
OVERRUNNING CONDITIONS AND COOLER TEMPS WED/THU.

MARINE...WIND WILL REMAIN BELOW SCA CRITERIA THROUGH EARLY NEXT
WEEK. WINDS WILL REACH CAUTION LEVELS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS A
SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVE ACROSS THE AREA.  COLD FRONT
STILL EXPECTED TO REMAIN NORTH OF THE WATERS THROUGH SUNDAY. WILL GO
WITH A LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH WIND. AIRMASS MOIST AND
VERY UNSTABLE THROUGH THE PERIOD...SO WILL CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

PRELIMS...
CRP TT 072/080 070/079 068 67677
VCT TT 069/079 067/075 065 67677
LRD TT 071/079 068/075 066 67666

.CRP...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH FRIDAY TXZ229>234-239>247.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 4 PM CDT TXZ230>234-240>247

TE...81
CPW...78
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 24, 11:45 AM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before
TXZ229>234-239>247-251100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1145 AM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE COASTAL
BEND...VICTORIA CROSSROADS AREA AND PORTIONS OF THE RIO GRANDE
PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE
DAMAGING WINDS AND SOME HAIL. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT
THROUGH TONIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE WITH THE SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
EMERGENCY MANAGERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS AND STORM SPOTTERS MAY BE
NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL COMBINE WITH ABUNDANT
MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY TO GENERATE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH
MONDAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 24, 11:16 AM CDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
TXZ230>234-240>247-242100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1116 AM CDT THU OCT 24 2002

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CDT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
VALID UNTIL 400 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE
COUNTIES OF ARANSAS...BEE...CALHOUN...DUVAL...GOLIAD...JIM WELLS...
KLEBERG...LIVE OAK...MCMULLEN...NUECES...REFUGIO...SAN PATRICIO AND
VICTORIA. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ALICE...ARANSAS
PASS...BEEVILLE...BENAVIDES...CORPUS CHRISTI...GEORGE WEST...
GOLIAD...INGLESIDE...KINGSVILLE...MATHIS...PORT ARANSAS...PORT
LAVACA...PORT OCONNOR...PORTLAND...REFUGIO...ROBSTOWN...ROCKPORT...
SEADRIFT...SINTON...SKIDMORE...THREE RIVERS...TILDEN AND VICTORIA.

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.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE
ACTIVATION. RESIDENTS ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE
READY TO ACT QUICKLY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA. IF
SEVERE WEATHER THREATENS YOUR AREA...THEN MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM
AND LAY DOWN ON THE FLOOR. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...LAY FLAT DOWN ON THE
GROUND...PREFERABLY IN A DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT. NEVER TRY TO OUTRUN
SEVERE WEATHER.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS REGARDING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

FOR THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS AND WARNINGS...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/CRP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 24, 11:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRP60 min
Oct 24, 11:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRP64 min
Oct 24, 1:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRP39 min
Oct 24, 2:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRP60 min
Oct 24, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRP30 min
Oct 24, 3:02 PM CDTTornado WarningCRPNueces, San Patricio43 min
Oct 24, 3:07 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPNueces, San Patricio3 hr
Oct 24, 3:16 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP104 min
Oct 24, 3:49 PM CDTTornado WarningCRPKleberg, Nueces26 min
Oct 24, 5:00 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP75 min
Oct 24, 5:00 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP75 min
Oct 24, 6:15 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP75 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.