Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 57, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

December 23, 2002Harris County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 23, 2002, 9:38 PM CST for Harris County, Texas. It was in force for 37 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 23, 2002, 9:38 PM CST (03:38 UTC)
Expired
Dec 23, 2002, 10:15 PM CST
In force
37 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), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:40 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 23, 9:45 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 52 EGAldine, TXBillboard signs down.

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 23, 7:10 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 198 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 00:00Z on 2002-12-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2187 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-12-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 254 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
2187 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
466 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
254 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
247 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.7
Supercell composite
12.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

623 
WFUS54 KHGX 240338
TORHOU
TXC201-240415-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
937 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HARRIS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 1015 PM CST

* AT 935 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
  PRODUCING A TORNADO 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALDINE...MOVING NORTHEAST 
AT 50 TO 60 MPH. THIS STORM WILL PASS JUST SOUTH ON HOUSTON 
INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT. TAKE COVER NOW

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  ALDINE
  BUSH-INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT
  HUMBLE
  KINGWOOD

MOVE TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON YOUR CAR
OR MOBILE HOME FOR A STRONG SHELTER NOW

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 3016 9510 3005 9505 2979 9538 2991 9552
          3008 9535 3003 9530 3006 9522

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 23, 6:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX49 min
Dec 23, 6:47 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBurleson43 min
Dec 23, 7:11 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazos49 min
Dec 23, 7:38 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXGrimes, Madison52 min
Dec 23, 7:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX54 min
Dec 23, 8:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX58 min
Dec 23, 8:06 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXWashington54 min
Dec 23, 8:28 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXHouston, Madison62 min
Dec 23, 9:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX30 min
Dec 23, 9:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX43 min
Dec 23, 9:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX51 min
Dec 23, 9:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX53 min
Dec 23, 9:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX37 min
Dec 23, 9:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX44 min
Dec 23, 9:50 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Dec 23, 10:17 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXLiberty28 min
Dec 23, 10:20 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX100 min
Dec 23, 10:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX31 min
Dec 23, 11:52 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX68 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.