Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 44, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

September 19, 2002Harris County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Sep 19, 2002, 5:57 PM CDT for Harris County, Texas. It was in force for 108 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
Sep 19, 2002, 5:57 PM CDT (22:57 UTC)
Expired
Sep 19, 2002, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
108 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Harris County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:56 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood 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 nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 208 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-09-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2208 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-09-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 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
2208 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
647 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KHGX 192257
FFWHOU
TXC201-200045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
557 PM CDT THU SEP 19 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HARRIS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 546 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 
  MOVING NORTHEAST OVER HARRIS COUNTY.  

* FLOODING IS EXPECTED IN OR NEAR...
  THE MEDICAL CENTER...HOOKS AIRPORT...HOBBY AIRPORT...THE 
  GALLERIA...AND DOWNTOWN HOUSTON

RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING AND MOVING OVER THE SAME 
LOCATIONS ALONG THE MAIN LINE OF STORMS.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF UP 
TO 4 INCHES IS POSSIBLE.

MANY ROADWAYS HAVE BEEN REPORTED UNDER WATER AND IMPASSABLE... 
ESPECIALLY NORTH OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON AND SOME IN THE NEAR THE WEST 
LOOP.
  
DO NOT CROSS ANY LOCATION WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD

SMALL CREEKS...STREAMS...BAYOUS...UNDERPASSES...AND FEEDER ROADS MAY
FLOOD QUICKLY. AVOID LOCATIONS WATER COVERS THE GROUND

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE COUNTY SHERIFF...LOCAL POLICE...OR 
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY.  THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3011 9542 3003 9533 3005 9525 3016 9510
          2984 9499 2962 9523 2961 9545 2978 9580
          3009 9554

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 19, 2:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 19, 2:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 47 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
210 PM CDT THU SEP 19 2002

BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER CWFA AND
PRONOUNCED BAND FROM WESTERN HARRIS TO NORTHERN LIBERTY COUNTIES
PRODUCING ABOUT AN INCH PER HOUR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. FRONTAL BOUNDARY
EXTENDING FROM BETWEEN ARD AND SPS BETWEEN BWD AND SJ. PRE-FRONTAL
TROUGH BETWEEN DRT AND LRD NORTH TO THE HILL COUNTRY. UNSTABLE AIR
MASS WITH HIGH PW VALUES ABOUT 2 INCHES AND PASSING WEAK UPPER LEVEL
IMPULSE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA OVER REGION.
FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SQUALL LINE TYPE SCENARIO
COMING FROM THE W/NW LATER THIS EVENING AND MOVING ACROSS CWFA
OVERNIGHT. IT APPEARS THAT FRONT SHOULD MOVE ACROSS IAH AROUND 4 AM
TOMORROW...AND SHOULD BE NEAR THE COAST AROUND 6 AM. BEST UPPER
LEVEL SUPPORT WILL BE OVER NORTHERN ZONES WHICH IS CLOSER TO
ENTRANCE REGION OF UPPER LEVEL JET. THIS IS WHERE WE EXPECT BETTER
CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER. WE WILL CONTINUE W/SLIGHT CHANCE SEVERE
FOR ALL ZONES TONIGHT (SEE SWODY1) ALONG W/POSSIBLE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL. WE WILL LOWER SCA TO CAUTION FOR COASTAL WATERS AS
SOMEWHAT FLATTER PRESSURE GRADIENT IS INDICATED BY MODELS AND
CURRENT TRENDS INDICATE SAME. AFTER FROPA...OFFSHORE FLOW WILL
CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. SECONDARY COLD FRONT SHOULD
APPROACH OUR REGION LATE SUNDAY REINFORCING DRY NORTHERLY FLOW IN
PLACE. SWELLS FROM ISIDORE SHOULD BE AFFECTING COASTAL WATERS MAINLY
OFFSHORE REGION BY SUNDAY. AT LEAST FOR NOW...WEEKEND LOOKS GREAT
W/PWATS UNDER AN INCH...AND THIS SCENARIO MAY LAST FOR SEVERAL MORE
DAYS THEREAFTER.

PLEASE SEE TCDAT5 FOR TPC DISCUSSION ON ISIDORE.

.HGX...SCEC 0 TO 60 NM COASTAL WATERS.

CLL BU 067/086 060/086 062 710
IAH BU 070/086 061/087 062 630
GLS TU 076/085 072/085 072 650

37/35

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 19, 3:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-200900-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
330 PM CDT THU SEP 19 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE
THROUGH TONIGHT...

A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS...AND A
PASSING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL RESULT IN THE CONTINUING
DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REGION. A COLD FRONT
WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE WEST. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO
ENTER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS DURING THE LATE EVENING
HOURS AND REACH THE COAST DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY.
AHEAD OF THE FRONT...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHWARD. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED
TO DEVELOP NEAR AND ALONG THE FRONT. AS THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT...THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF LARGE
HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF
THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT AS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES AND
THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY INTERACT WITH TROPICAL MOISTURE OVER SOUTHEAST
TEXAS. LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR
LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN THREAT.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 19, 9:44 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Sep 19, 5:34 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXLiberty3 hr
Sep 19, 5:46 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX119 min
Sep 19, 5:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Liberty19 days

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 2002Every flash flood 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.