Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 53, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

October 28, 2002Jackson County, Wharton County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Oct 28, 2002, 5:24 PM CST for Jackson County, Wharton County, Texas. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 28, 2002, 5:24 PM CST (23:24 UTC)
Expired
Oct 28, 2002, 8:15 PM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Jackson County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:23 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 194 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 2002-10-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 641 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2002-10-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 127 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
641 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-103 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
220 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
3.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KHGX 282324
FFWHOU
TXC239-481-290215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
525 PM CST MON OCT 28 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WHARTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 815 PM CST

* AT 513 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

* FLOODING IS EXPECTED IN OR NEAR...
  PIERCE...WHARTON...GANADO...EL CAMPO

RADAR ESTIMATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN BETWEEN THE 
CITIES OF WHARTON AND EL CAMPO AND OVER NORTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY.
THUNDERSTORMS MERGING OVER JACKSON AND WHARTON COUNTIES MAY PRODUCE 
AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL BY 815 PM.

DO NOT CROSS ANY LOCATION WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD

SMALL CREEKS...STREAMS...BAYOUS..AND FARM-TO-MARKET OR OTHER 
SECONDARY ROADS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.  AVOID LOCATIONS WHERE WATER 
COVERS THE GROUND

USE EXTRA CAUTION AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DEPTH
AND SPEED OF FLASH FLOOD WATERS.

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 2964 9618 2955 9607 2943 9606 2935 9599
          2926 9587 2916 9597 2897 9634 2868 9634
          2872 9664 2889 9673 2906 9693 2923 9671
          2925 9663 2938 9640 2952 9629

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 Oct 28, 2:00 PM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 28, 2:00 PM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
200 PM CST MON OCT 28 2002

STRONG SHORTWAVE OVER SERN NEW MEXICO WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTH TX
TONIGHT AND WEAKEN. STRONG LIFT WILL CONTINUE OVER CWA TONIGHT WITH
ENHANCED UPPER DIFLUENCE IN EXIT REGION OF DEPARTING 300 MB JET.
WARM FRONT LOCATED JUST OFF UPPER TX COAST EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND
IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. WITH FAVORABLE SETUP FOR HEAVY
RAINFALL...HAVE DECIDED TO EXTEND THE FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT
FOR SE HALF OF AREA. HEAVIEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS EXPECTED TO FOCUS
ALONG NORTHWARD LIFTING BOUNDARY. PER MESOSCALE DISCUSSION FROM
SPC...THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL DEVELOP AS TROPICAL AIRMASS
MOVES INLAND...WITH POSSIBLE WW BEING ISSUED IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.
WV IMAGERY SHOWS DRIER MID LEVEL AIR WHICH WILL SPREAD OVER SE TX
OVERNIGHT AND COULD ENHANCE SEVERE THREAT. ALTHOUGH WARM FRONT WILL
REMAIN MAIN CONVECTIVE FOCUS...COULD SEE STRONG/SEVERE TSRA FIRE
LATER TONIGHT OVER NRN ZONES AS SHORTWAVE APPROACHES. WILL LEAVE
MENTION OF SEVERE FOR ALL AREAS TONIGHT.

MAIN CONCERN TUE/TUE NIGHT IS HOW FAR SOUTH WEAK FRONT PENETRATES
AREA IN WAKE OF SHORTWAVE. WILL GENERALLY FOLLOW TREND OF LAST
COUPLE OF FRONTS WHICH PUSHED JUST OFF COAST BEFORE STALLING. THIS
WOULD BE A BLEND OF THE 12Z AVN/ETA SOLUTIONS. PWS FCST TO DROP TO
AROUND 1.3 INCHES SRN HALF BY LATE TUESDAY. WITH LACK OF A LOW LEVEL
FOCUS AND SHALLOWER MOISTURE...EXPECT LITTLE MORE THAN ISOLATED
CONVECTION TUE AFTN/NIGHT MAINLY NEAR THE COAST. WITH FINALLY SOME
SUNSHINE TUE/WED WILL SEE WARMER MAX TEMPS. LATE NIGHT LOW
CLOUDS/FOG CAN BE EXPECTED NEXT COUPLE OF NIGHTS.

AS UPPER TROF DIGS INTO ROCKIES BY MIDWEEK...A POLAR AIRMASS WILL
BEGIN TO MIGRATE SOUTH THROUGH THE PLAINS. LATEST GFS/ETA IN CLOSE
AGREEMENT BRINGING INITIAL FRONT OFF TX COAST WED EVENING. UPPER
TROF DEVELOPS OVER GREAT LAKES REGION LATE IN THE WEEK WHICH WILL
FINALLY SHOVE MAIN COLD AIRMASS SOUTH INTO TEXAS. THIS SECOND
STRONGER PUSH OF COLDER AIR SHOULD ARRIVE IN SE TX LATE FRIDAY.

35/42

.HGX...FFA TONIGHT SE OF A COLUMBUS TO CONROE TO LIVINGSTON LINE.
       SCEC 20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE MATAGORDA TO HIGH ISLAND.

PRELIMS...
CLL BB 062/080 061/078 052 521
IAH EB 067/081 064/080 056 841
GLS EB 072/079 071/078 066 842
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 28, 3:30 PM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
GMZ300-330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-
227-235>238-291100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
330 PM CST MON OCT 28 2002

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT TONIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT AREA WIDE...

.DAY ONE...
TONIGHT...
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHING FROM THE WEST AND A WARM FRONT
MOVING NORTH FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL CONTINUE TO TRIGGER
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WATCH AREA TONIGHT.
RAINFALL TOTALS OF AROUND AN INCH WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 2 TO 3
INCHES HAVE OCCURRED SO FAR TODAY MAINLY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 59.
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS TO 3
INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE WATCH AREA BY MORNING.

RAINFALL WHICH OCCURRED THE LAST WEEK ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
HAS RESULTED IN A SATURATED GROUND WITH MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS NEAR
BANKFULL OR FLOOD STAGE. THEREFORE...ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL
LIKELY CREATE FLOODING ACROSS SOME LOCATIONS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS THROUGH TONIGHT. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE THE PRIMARY SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ALSO POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE
TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 28, 5:45 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Oct 28, 9:45 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX90 min
Oct 28, 12:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX31 min
Oct 28, 2:05 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX115 min
Oct 28, 5:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX20 min

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.