Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

April 8, 2002Brazoria County, Galveston County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 8, 2002, 1:42 AM CDT for Brazoria County, Galveston County, Texas. It was in force for 48 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
Apr 8, 2002, 1:42 AM CDT (06:42 UTC)
Expired
Apr 8, 2002, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Brazoria County, TX, Galveston County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:45 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
Apr 8, 2:15 AM CDTThunderstorm WindFriendswood, TXOn FM 518 in Friendswood, wind damage occurred to an auto repair shop, with loss of the sheet metal awning, and power lines were 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
Apr 7, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 213 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 2002-04-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 645 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 2002-04-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 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
645 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
735 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KHGX 080642
TORHOU
TXC039-167-080730-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
140 AM CDT MON APR 8 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN BRAZORIA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  GALVESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 230 AM CDT

* AT 130 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
  PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF FRIENDSWOOD...MOVING EAST AT
  30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  ALVIN...HILLCREST...PEARLAND...FRIENDSWOOD...LEAGUE CITY

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

DRIVERS SHOULD LOOK FOR STRONG SHELTER. AS A LAST RESORT...TAKE COVER
IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT. OVERPASSES ARE NOT SAFE

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU
SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO - TAKE COVER 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 2958 9543 2950 9545 2934 9524 2951 9503
          2951 9522 2958 9530

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 7, 10:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXColorado54 min
Apr 7, 10:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson62 min
Apr 7, 11:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin, Washington59 min
Apr 7, 11:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Waller57 min
Apr 8, 12:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXMontgomery54 min
Apr 8, 12:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto35 min
Apr 8, 12:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend, Harris59 min
Apr 8, 1:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty56 min
Apr 8, 1:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria55 min
Apr 8, 1:55 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX110 min
Apr 8, 6:16 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX74 min
Apr 8, 6:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXJackson, Matagorda37 min
Apr 8, 6:57 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX93 min
Apr 8, 7:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria, Matagorda45 min
Apr 8, 7:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria, Galveston30 min
Apr 8, 7:47 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX58 min
Apr 8, 8:13 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Galveston, Harris2 hr
Apr 8, 8:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGalveston28 min
Apr 8, 8:22 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX83 min
Apr 8, 8:56 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX94 min
Apr 8, 10:29 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX46 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.