Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2002

Flash Flood Warning 60, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

November 4, 2002Polk County, San Jacinto County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Nov 4, 2002, 5:32 PM CST for Polk County, San Jacinto 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
Nov 4, 2002, 5:32 PM CST (23:32 UTC)
Expired
Nov 4, 2002, 8:30 PM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 145 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 2002-11-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3 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 2002-11-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 135 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
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
394 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KHGX 042332
FFWHOU
TXC373-407-050230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
530 PM CST MON NOV 4 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  POLK COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  SAN JACINTO COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 830 PM CST

* AT 530 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL 
  SPREADING INTO SAN JACINTO AND POLK COUNTIES. IN SAN JACINTO COUNTY
  SEVERAL FARM TO MARKET ROADS HAD WATER ON THE ROAD. HIGHWAY 59     
  UNDERPASS AT SHEPHERD HAS WATER PILING UP AND WILL LIKELY BE       
  IMPASSABLE LATER. AN ADDITIONAL 1-2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE BEFORE      
  MIDNIGHT MAKING THE FLOODING WORSE.  

* FLOODING IS EXPECTED IN OR NEAR...
  LAKE LIVINGSTON STATE PARK...ALABAMA-COUSHATTA RESERVATION...CITY  
  OF LIVINGSTON...COLDSPRING...SHEPHERD...ONALASKA.

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 3117 9479 3107 9466 3052 9458 3053 9485
          3036 9518 3056 9535 3077 9528

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 Nov 4, 3:40 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 4, 3:40 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
340 PM CST MON NOV 4 2002

...SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING THREAT REMAINS IN PLACE FOR
SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...

THUS FAR THIS AFTERNOON...THE BULK OF THE MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL SEEMS TO HAVE CONSOLIDATED OVER OUR NORTHERN ZONES.
WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS FROM 2-2.5 INCHES WERE NOTED WITH RAINGAUGES IN
THESE LOCATIONS BUT FOR POINTS SOUTH AVERAGES WERE 1 INCH OR LESS.
PER SFC ANALYSES...THE WARM FRONT HAS STARTED MAKING SOME NWD PRO-
GRESS BACK TOWARD THE UPPER TX COAST THIS AFTERNOON. THIS MAY BE A
RESULT OF THE DEEPENING CONVECTION JUST SW OF CRP. THIS CLUSTER OF
CONVECTION HAS BEEN MAKING STEADY PROGRESS NE THIS AFTN AOA 25 KTS
AND COULD MAKE THE FORECAST TONIGHT A BIT TRICKIER THAN PREVIOUSLY
THOUGHT. THE LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS WERE STILL INDICATING A RATHER
BUSY OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS A SFC LOW/WAVE DEVELOPS OVER THE LOWER TX
COAST AND WORKS ITS WAY UP THE SHORELINE (IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME
RATHER SIGNIFICANT PWS AROUND 2.2).  DIFLUENCE ALOFT COUPLED WITH
SUBSTANTIAL LOW-LVL SHEAR AND THE PRESENCE OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY
ALL POINTED TO FAIRLY WIDESPREAD VERY HEAVY RAINS AREAWIDE AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR OUR COASTAL/NEAR COASTAL REGION.
THE MAIN DIFFERENCES OF NOTE WITH THE 12Z RUNS WERE WITH TIMING...
THE GFS/AVN APPEARED TO BE RUNNING ABOUT 6HRS FASTER THAN THE ETA.
HOWEVER HAVING SAID ALL THIS...THE PRESENCE OF THE CLUSTER OF TSRA
COULD THROW THE PROVERBIAL MONKEY WRENCH IN ALL OUR CAREFULLY LAID
OUT FORECAST MACHINATIONS. SHOULD THIS FEATURE CONTINUE ON ITS NE
TRACK...THE BULK OF THE HEAVY RAINS/STRONG DYNAMICS COULD REMAIN
OFFSHORE. BUT GIVEN THE POTENTIAL SERIOUSNESS OF THIS EVENT (AS
THE GROUNDS ARE EXTREMELY SATURATED)...WILL OPT TO CONTINUE THE
FLOOD WATCH AREAWIDE AND MENTION OF SEVERE WX FOR THE FIRST TWO
TIERS OF COUNTIES FROM THE COAST. RAPID CLEARING FROM THE N/NW
STILL ON TAP FOR TOMORROW FOLLOWED BY A DRY REST OF THE WEEK.
41/30

.HGX...FFA ENTIRE CWA THROUGH TONIGHT.
       SCA BAYS AND HIGH ISLAND TO MATAGORDA 0-60 NM.

PRELIMS...
CLL TT 054/065 045/068 044 +60
IAH TT 060/067 049/069 046 +80
GLS TT 067/072 057/068 056 +80
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 4, 5:30 AM CST, 12 hours 2 minutes before
GMZ300-330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-
227-235>238-042300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
530 AM CST MON NOV 4 2002

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

.DAY ONE...
TODAY AND TONIGHT...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOR MUCH OF TODAY...WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL
POSSIBLE. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH SOUTHEAST
TEXAS TONIGHT AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH ONTO THE UPPER TEXAS COAST.
THIS DISTURBANCE WILL COMBINE WITH THE WARM FRONT AND DEEP TROPICAL
MOISTURE TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT.
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS
SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY...WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 6 TO 8
INCHES POSSIBLE.

HEAVY RAINFALL THAT HAS OCCURRED DURING THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF
OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS RESULTED IN THE GROUND BECOMING SATURATED
WITH MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS ALREADY PAST FLOOD STAGE. ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CREATE FLOODING ACROSS MANY LOCATIONS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT OVER THE
COASTAL COUNTIES. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED
TORNADOES.

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

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
TUESDAY...HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE THREAT OF FLOODING WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. RAINFALL WILL END DURING THE
AFTERNOON AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 4, 4:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson, Grimes, Houston, Madison, Trinity and 2 more4 hr

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.