Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 140, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

December 23, 2002Lee County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Dec 23, 2002, 8:00 PM CST for Lee County, Texas. It was in force for 15 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 23, 2002, 8:00 PM CST (02:00 UTC)
Expired: Dec 23, 2002, 8:15 PM CST
In force: 15 min
Issued by: NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Lee County, TX

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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Dec 23, 2:10 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr
Dec 23, 7:10 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 282 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2559 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 644 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 75 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 104 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.2
Supercell composite: 4.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KEWX 240200
SVRSAT
TXC287-240215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
800 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN TEXAS...
  LEE

* UNTIL 815 PM CST

* AT 800 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER GIDDINGS...OR ABOUT 2 MILES EAST OF
  GIDDINGS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
RURAL LEE COUNTY AT 810 PM THEN MOVE INTO GRIMES COUNTY.  HAIL AND 
STRONG WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.


LAT...LON 3029 9710 3009 9703 3018 9673 3037 9679

$$

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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Dec 23, 2:45 PM CST, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 2:45 PM CST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
245 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO WESTERN HILL COUNTRY.  CONVECTION FIRING
OUT WEST WILL BE ROUTINE THUNDERSTORMS WILL SOME HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS.  THE BREAK IN THE CLOUD COVER WILL HELP GENERATE ANOTHER
ROUND OF SUPERCELLS OVER EXTREME EASTERN COUNTIES THIS EVENING.
UPPER LOW MOVING EAST ABOUT 30 MPH, FAST ENUF TO KEEP CONVECTION
MOVING ALONG AND NEGATING FLASH FLOOD WATCH.  GOOD PRESSURE GRADIENT
BEHIND COLD FRONT WILL KEEP TEMPS ON MILD SIDE.  CLEARING SKIES WILL
ALLOW TEMPS TO RISE TO NEAR NORMAL TUESDAY.  A COLD NIGHT IN
STORE TUESDAY NIGHT AS LIGHT WINDS AND NEAR CLEAR SKIES WILL ALLOW
GOOD RADIATION COOLING.  FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD SOME MINOR SHORT
WAVES MOVE THROUGH TEXAS IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW BRINGING PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES.  TEMPS TO REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS OVER THE
WEEKEND WITH A SLOW WARM UP EXPECTED FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 44 52 30 55 32 5100
DRT 45 57 34 59 36 3000
SAT 46 57 30 59 33 4-00

.EWX...TOR WATCH #799 TIL 8 PM LEE LAVACA AND FAYETTE
 06/08/DC/VL

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 23, 5:54 AM CST, 14 hours 6 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-241200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
554 AM CST MON DEC 23 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY FOR THE
EASTERN-MOST AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF
BASTROP...GIDDINGS...GONZALES...CUERO...LA GRANGE AND
HALLETTSVILLE.  A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS TODAY
OVER THE REST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL COUNTRY.

A POTENT UPPER AIR SYSTEM WILL INTERACT WITH A WARM FRONT TO TRIGGER
THE SEVERE WEATHER.  TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS
ARE THE MAJOR THREATS THIS MORNING...MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE
I-35 CORRIDOR.  THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD START TO DECREASE
DURING THE EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FROM AROUND SUNRISE INTO THIS
EVENING.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 23, 3:00 PM CST, 5 hours before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
300 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

TIME(BEST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0625 AM    NEAR AUSTIN BERGSTROM     TX   LARGE SIGNS BLOWN OVER
12/23/02   INTL AIRPORT                   AND POWER POLE BENT
           AT BURLESON AND                HALFWAY OVER
           GENERAL AVIATION RD.
           TRAVIS

0704 AM    BETWEEN MANOR AND         TX   TORNADO. CARS FLIPPED
12/23/02   ELGIN...JUST EAST              OVER, GAS STATION ROOF
           OF MANOR                       BLOWN OFF.  HOME ALSO
           TRAVIS                         HAD MISSING ROOF.  ONE
                                          MOBIL HOME WAS DESTROYED.
                                          POWER LINES DOWN AND
                                          TREES UPROOTED.

0850 AM    NEAR LEDBETTER            TX   POSSIBLE TORNADO.
12/23/02   FAYETTE                        STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN AREA.
                                          LOTS OF DEBRIS IN AREA...
                                          TIN...LIMBS...ETC.

0905 AM    NEAR AMMANNSVILLE...      TX   FUNNEL CLOUDS.
12/23/02   ST. JOHN...AND                 NO TOUCHDOWN.
           FREYBURG.

Local storm report, Dec 23, 6:31 PM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
631 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0540 PM    INGRAM                    TX   .88 INCH HAIL
12/23/02   KERR                           REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0540 PM    HUNT                      TX   1.75 INCH HAIL
12/23/02   KERR                           REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

DC

Local storm report, Dec 23, 7:39 PM CST, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
739 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0703 PM    SAN ANTONIO               TX   4.50 HAIL AT CALAVERAS
                                          LAKE
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0703 PM    SAN ANTONIO               TX   2.75 INCH HAIL
12/23/02   BEXAR                          FM 3432 AT BEXAR/
                                          WILSON COUNTY LINE
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0709 PM    LA VERNIA                 TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
12/23/02   WILSON                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0714 PM    NEW BRAUNFELS             TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
12/23/02   COMAL                          AT NEW BRAUNFELS
                                          AIRPORT
                                          REPORTED BY NWS
0725 PM    STOCKDALE                 TX   BROKEN WINDOWS
12/23/02   WILSON                         AND ELDERLY
                                          INJURED AT
                                          NURSING HOME
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

DC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 23, 6:03 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Bastrop	42 min
Dec 23, 6:17 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	EWX	Bastrop	3 hr
Dec 23, 6:22 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Lee	53 min
Dec 23, 6:39 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Bexar	51 min
Dec 23, 6:43 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Comal	47 min
Dec 23, 6:50 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Wilson	40 min
Dec 23, 6:53 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Guadalupe	52 min
Dec 23, 7:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Caldwell, Gonzales	49 min
Dec 23, 7:40 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	DeWitt, Karnes	50 min
Dec 23, 8:02 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Fayette	43 min
Dec 23, 8:18 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	EWX	Lavaca	42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2002 Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.