Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 47, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

December 30, 2002Hays County, Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 30, 2002, 3:05 PM CST for Hays County, Texas. It was in force for 55 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
Dec 30, 2002, 3:05 PM CST (21:05 UTC)
Expired
Dec 30, 2002, 4:00 PM CST
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Hays County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 30 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:08 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
Dec 30, 3:43 PM CSTHail 1.5San Marcos, 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 30, 12:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 258 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 2002-12-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 302 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2002-12-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 234 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
302 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-271 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
652 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 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 
WFUS54 KEWX 302105
TORSAT
TXC209-302200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
305 PM CST MON DEC 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN TEXAS...
  HAYS

* UNTIL 400 PM CST

* AT 305 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION THAT MAY PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY
  TIME 11 MILES SOUTH OF WIMBERLEY...OR ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF CANYON
  LAKE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO PRODUCING STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KYLE AT 335 PM
  7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BUDA AT 340 PM

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN
THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF
NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.


LAT...LON 2997 9819 2983 9800 3001 9775 3010 9785

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 30, 1:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXKerr, Real64 min
Dec 30, 1:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBurnet, Williamson42 min
Dec 30, 1:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXMedina37 min
Dec 30, 1:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar63 min
Dec 30, 2:05 PM CSTTornado WarningEWXBexar55 min
Dec 30, 2:26 PM CSTTornado WarningEWXComal64 min
Dec 30, 3:18 PM CSTTornado WarningEWXCaldwell57 min
Dec 30, 3:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar62 min
Dec 30, 3:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXTravis61 min
Dec 30, 3:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGuadalupe55 min
Dec 30, 3:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXComal52 min
Dec 30, 3:58 PM CSTTornado WarningEWXBastrop62 min
Dec 30, 3:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXWilliamson61 min
Dec 30, 4:22 PM CSTTornado WarningEWXWilliamson53 min
Dec 30, 5:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales60 min
Dec 30, 5:11 PM CSTTornado WarningEWXBastrop, Fayette, Lee64 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.