Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 22, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

March 31, 2002Trinity County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 2002, 3:02 AM CST for Trinity County, Texas. It was in force for 13 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
Mar 31, 2002, 3:02 AM CST (09:02 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2002, 3:15 AM CST
In force
13 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Trinity County, TX

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 178 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:03 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 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 nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 186 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 7 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 370 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-221 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
454 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
79 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
370 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
459 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

184 
WUUS54 KHGX 310902
SVRHOU
TXC455-310915-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
301 AM CST SUN MAR 31 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  TRINITY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 315 AM CST

* AT 254 AM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4   
MILES WEST OF APPLE SPRINGS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THIS STORM 
WILL LIKELY PRODUCE DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  APPLE SPRINGS

MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR
BUSINESS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

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

LAT...LON 3117 9517 3113 9505 3128 9487 3133 9496

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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 31, 2:25 AM CST, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 2:25 AM CST, 37 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
225 AM CST SUN MAR 31 2002

QUITE A NIGHT LAST NIGHT. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL AND WIND
DAMAGE. HOPE TO HAVE THE LSR OUT BY 5 AM.

LOW CLOUDS AND FOG TO PREVAIL THIS MORNING UNTIL WEAK FRONTAL
BOUNDARY FINALLY PUSHES THROUGH. DRIER AIR LURKING BEHIND THIS
FEATURE SHOULD PROVIDE THE REGION WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS AND
LOWER RH. AT 07Z...SFC LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED NEAR IAH WITH A TROF
EXTENDING FROM THE LOW TOWARD BRO. THE 50H LOW WHICH BROUGHT SO MUCH
CHAOS TO THE STATE IS SPINNING NEAR GGG. ETA IS MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TODAY KEEPING 70 PERCENT RH TRAPPED BELOW 900 MB.
AVN IS DRIER. THINK PTLY CLDY CAN COVER THINGS AS CLOUDS THIS
MORNING GIVE WAY TO SUNSHINE. CANT FIND MUCH TO TALK ABOUT FOR MON.
SOME INCREASE IN CLOUDS FOR TUESDAY AS ONSHORE WINDS RETURN.

WED LOOKS A LITTLE UNSETTLED AS A WEAK FRONT CROSSES THE AREA ON WED
OR WED NIGHT. DOWN THE ROAD...ECMWF HOLDS AN UPPER LOW OVER BAJA
WHILE THE UKMET EJECTS THE LOW TOWARD TEXAS AS AN OPEN TROUGH.THE
CANADIAN MODEL ALSO HOLDS THE LOW BACK TOWARD BAJA AND BUILDS A WEAK
UPPER RIDGE OVER THE REGION. MRF FAVORS THE UKMET IN BRINGING THIS
SYSTEM OUT AS AN OPEN WAVE. HAVE FAVORED THE WETTER UKMET/MRF SOLN.

.HGX...NONE.

43/41

PRELIMS...
CLL BU 073/048 079/055 083 000
IAH BU 075/051 079/056 083 000
GLS BU 073/057 074/064 076 000

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 30, 9:15 PM CST, 5 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
915 PM CST SAT MAR 30 2002

TXZ163-164-176>179-199-200-213-214-310430-
CHAMBERS-HARRIS-HOUSTON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-
TRINITY-WALKER-
915 PM CST SAT MAR 30 2002

...TORNADO WATCH FOR THE EASTERN THIRD OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

THE TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT EARLIER FOR THE EASTERN THIRD OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS BEEN CANCELLED. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
LINGER ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS...BUT THE
THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THE NIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR ADDITIONAL
UPDATES.

TXZ226-227-235>238-310430-
BRAZORIA-FORT BEND-GALVESTON-JACKSON-MATAGORDA-WHARTON-
915 PM CST SAT MAR 30 2002

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS EXPIRED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ISSUED EARLIER FOR THE SOUTHERN THIRD
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS EXPIRED. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER
ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS...BUT THE THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THE NIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR ADDITIONAL
UPDATES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 6:04 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda, Wharton41 min
Mar 30, 6:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk, Trinity38 min
Mar 30, 6:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris59 min
Mar 30, 6:33 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXPolk27 min
Mar 30, 6:48 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend, Matagorda57 min
Mar 30, 7:01 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXPolk, Trinity29 min
Mar 30, 7:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Liberty37 min
Mar 30, 7:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXPolk, San Jacinto36 min
Mar 30, 7:47 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers, Galveston, Harris43 min
Mar 30, 7:54 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX66 min
Mar 30, 8:01 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXLiberty29 min
Mar 30, 8:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Liberty43 min
Mar 30, 9:08 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX67 min
Mar 30, 10:17 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX58 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.