Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 61, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 9, 2002Edwards County, Kinney County, Val Verde County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 2002, 10:38 PM CDT for Edwards County, Kinney County, Val Verde County, Texas. It was in force for 52 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
May 9, 2002, 10:38 PM CDT (03:38 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2002, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Edwards County, TX, Kinney County, TX, Val Verde 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 9, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 39 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3638 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3638 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
153 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
7.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KEWX 100338
SVRSAT
TXC137-271-465-100430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1036 PM CDT THU MAY 9 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN TEXAS...
  EDWARDS
  VAL VERDE
  KINNEY

* UNTIL 1130 PM CDT

* AT 1036 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER VAL VERDE COUNTY...OR ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH
  OF DEL RIO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
 ALONG THE EDWARDS KINNEY COUNTY LINE...OR 20 MILES NORTH OF 
BRACKETTVILLE  AT 1050 PM

IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER
AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.


LAT...LON 2974 10086 2957 10088 2945 10020 2972 10017

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 May 9, 8:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 8:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
815 PM CDT THU MAY 9TH 2002

SYNOPSIS...HIGHLY VOLATILE ATMOSPHERE IS IN PLACE ACROSS PORTIONS OF
THE COUNTY WARNING AREA.LATEST SOUNDING OUT OF DEL RIO SHOWS A
DEFINITIVE VEERING WIND TO 700 MB, TRAPPING DEEP MOISTURE IN THE
LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. IT APPEARS DEL RIO HAS REACHED
CONVECTIVE TEMP OF 94, HENCE, STORM DEVELOPMENT. CURRENT
INFRARED/WATER VAPOR ANALYSIS PINPOINTS A STATIONARY FRONT LOCATED
FROM PANDALE EAST TO BURNET AND TO THE NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN. THIS
SURFACE FRONT IS CREATING A BATTLE ZONE BETWEEN WARM MOIST AIR TO
THE SOUTH AND COOL DRY AIR TO THE NORTH. AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE
CONTINUES ITS PROGRESSION OFF TO THE EAST. THE COMBINATION OF
VORTICITY ADVECTION ALOFT AND ISENTROPIC LIFT AT THE SURFACE WILL
TOUCH OFF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL
REACH SEVERE CRITERIA. CURRENT RADAR SHOWS ACTION FIRING AHEAD OF
THE SHORTWAVE OVER VAL VERDE AND EDWARDS COUNTIES MOVING OFF TO THE
EAST.  CURRENT OVERLAY OF CONVECTIVE ENERGY/CONVECTIVE INHIBITION
SHOWS MOST UNSTABLE THREAT TO BE ACROSS DEL RIO, EAGLE PASS, HILL
COUNTRY AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS INTO TONIGHT. WITH
THERMAL HEATING WINDING DOWN, WELL LIGHTEN POPS SLIGHTLY FOR THE
OVERNIGHT...BUT KEEP IN POSSIBLY SEVERE FOR SURE.

23/02/06

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 9, 9:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
TXZ171-183>189-100700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
925 PM CDT THU MAY 9 2002

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT TIL 2 AM CDT...

THE WATCH COVERS THE FOLLOWING 11 COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS...INCLUDING THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY...

BANDERA         EDWARDS         GILLESPIE       KENDALL
KERR            KIMBLE          LLANO           MASON
MENARD          REAL            VAL VERDE

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WAS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS
EVENING...INTERACTING WITH A STATIONARY COLD FRONT LYING OVER THE
NORTHERN FRINGES OF THE HILL COUNTRY AND A THERMAL LOW NEAR DEL RIO.

THE DISTURBANCE AND ITS INTERACTIONS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE...DURING THE REMAINDER
OF THE EVENING...WEAKENING EARLY TOMORROW MORNING AS THERMAL
PROCESSES SUBSIDE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 7:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde53 min
May 9, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards63 min
May 9, 8:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards36 min
May 9, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards33 min
May 9, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde62 min
May 9, 9:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards53 min
May 9, 9:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde55 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.