Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 74, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

May 17, 2002Uvalde County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 6:59 PM CDT for Uvalde County, Texas. It was in force for 46 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 17, 2002, 6:59 PM CDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Uvalde 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 17, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 93 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 292 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, Del Rio, TX at 12:00Z on 2002-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -33 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
292 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-526 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1507 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KEWX 172359
SVRSAT
TXC463-180045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
658 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 658 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF CONCAN...OR ABOUT 23      
  MILES NORTH OF   UVALDE...MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
  NEAR CONCAN AT 725 PM.

LAT...LON 2960 10011 2942 10009 2934 9951 2962 9966

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 17, 3:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 3:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
339 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

UPPER DISTURBANCE OVER SOUTHEAST TX CONTINUES TO DEEPEN AND LEAVE
STABLE AIR IN ITS WAKE OVER NORTHEASTERN PORIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS. A FEW PULSE STORMS HAVE BEGUN TO FORM DURING THE PAST HOUR
ACROSS GILLESPIE, KENDAL, AND KERR COUNTIES. AREAS THAT RECEIVED
SUNSHINE WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCES OF RECEIVING THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY. CURRENT SURFACE MAP SHOWS FRONTAL BOUNDARY TAKING ON A NW
TO SE ORIENTATION AS IT BEARS DOWN ON CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE AREA.
STORMS WILL BE SCATTERED INITIALLY, THEN BECOMING MORE ORGANIZED AS
THEY MOVE INTO THE MORE UNSTABLE ENVIROMENT TO THE SOUTH. SEVERE
THREAT IN THIS ATMOSPHERE OF MARGINAL VERTICAL WIND SHEAR AND
MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT MAINLY A LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WIND THREAT. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS SUPPORT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
UP TO 2 INCHES BUT TRAINING ECHOES ARE NOT EXPECTED. SOME ADDITIONAL
LIFT COULD BE PROVIDED AFTER MIDNIGHT AS A DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHERN
MEXICO APPROACHES TX, BUT MODEL UPPER LEVEL WINDS CALL FOR THIS
DISTURBANCE TO BE SHEARED APART AS IT MOVES INTO CONFLUENCE THUS
ONLY EXPECT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS PAST MIDNIGHT WITH THE FOCUS
SHIFTING SOUTH.

UPPER LOW WILL PULL FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO ALLOW FOR MORE STABLE AIR IN
SATURDAY WITH POSSIBLE EXCEPTIONS IN THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES WHERE
REMNANT MOISTURE COULD TRIGGER SOME CONVECTION SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
SUNDAY AND MONDAY LOOK STABLE AS WELL, BUT A FEW STORMS COULD FORM
NEAR DRT MONDAY EVENING AS MOISTURE BEGINS RELOADING IN THIS AREA.
THOUGH MUCH OF THE AREA WILL MISS OUT ON THE RAIN, THE WEATHER WILL
BE QUITE PLEASANT WITH BELOW LOW NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.

MODELS HAVE SPED UP THE PROGRESS OF AN UPPER LOW MOVING INTO THE
NORTHERN PLAINS. THIS WILL SPEED UP MOISTURE RETURN TUESDAY AND
CAPPING BY THURSDAY SO HAVE MADE THESE CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED.

PRELIMS...
AUS 057/078/052/080/056 2000-
DRT 061/083/059/086/064 4200-
SAT 058/080/055/082/058 5-00-

.EWX...NONE.

18/23/13

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 17, 5:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
500 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

0500 AM    10 SW GONZALES            TX   WIND DAMAGE 05/17/02
GONZALES                                  ROOF BLOWN OFF MARKET SHOP

                                          REPORTED
                                          CEO-BOP OBSERVER

03-4 AM    I/10 AND CALAHAN          TX   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   BEXAR                          *** 0 INJ ***
                                          DAMAGE TO THE RED MCCOMB
                                          CAR DEALERSHIP: BILLBOARD
                                          STRIPEED, 16 CARS
                                          DAMAGED, 300 YARDS OF
                                          FENCE KNOCKED OVER.REPORTED
                                          BY OTHER

03-4 AM    WURZBACH PKWY             TX   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   BEXAR                          ANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE ON
                                          WURZBACH PKWY. AWNING
                                          DESTROYED, MINOR WIND
                                          DAMAGE.REPORTED BY OTHER

0403 PM    KERRVILLE 8S              TX   NICKEL SIZE HAIL
05/17/02   KERR                           SPOTTER REPORT

0445 PM    MEDINA                    TX   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
05/17/02                                  SHERIFFS DEPT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 9:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde46 min
May 16, 10:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXVal Verde73 min
May 16, 11:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards37 min
May 16, 11:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXUvalde63 min
May 17, 3:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar57 min
May 17, 3:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe, Wilson58 min
May 17, 4:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales64 min
May 17, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Kerr59 min
May 17, 4:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBandera, Kerr2 hr
May 17, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBandera, Medina65 min
May 17, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXEdwards, Kerr, Real62 min
May 17, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMedina67 min
May 17, 6:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXEdwards, Real109 min
May 17, 6:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKinney58 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.