Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Brownsville, TX

August 12, 2003Starr County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this flash flood warning at Aug 12, 2003, 7:25 PM CDT for Starr County, Texas. It was in force for 2 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
Aug 12, 2003, 7:25 PM CDT (00:25 UTC)
Expired
Aug 12, 2003, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Starr County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 175 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:28 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

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 177 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1907 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -18 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
1907 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
716 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KBRO 130028
FFWBRO
TXC427-130230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
725 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 725 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF EL   
  SAUZ. THIS STORM IS NEARLY STATIONARY AND WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE 
  TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN THE WARNED AREA THROUGH 930 PM. DOPPLER     
  RADAR ESTIMATED THAT FROM 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN OVER   
  NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTY SINCE 630 PM.  

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO   
  OCCUR. ANY FLASH FLOODING THAT OCCURS WILL BE CONFINED TO THE      
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTY.

FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR
IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES...
DIPS...OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...
EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER
GROUND.

LAT...LON 2679 9886 2658 9887 2657 9909 2673 9903

$$

SPEECE
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS74 KBRO 130158
FFSBRO
TXC427-130500-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
856 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN STARR
COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS DIMINISHED OVER THE WARNED AREA AS 
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS MOVED EAST INTO CENTRAL STARR COUNTY. 
STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING 
TO RECEDE...ENDING THE FLOOD THREAT. IF FLOODING HAS BEEN OBSERVED...
PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

$$

SPEECE
000 
WGUS74 KBRO 130159 CCA
FFSBRO
TXC427-130300-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT...CORRECTION FOR EXPIRATION TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
856 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN STARR
COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS DIMINISHED OVER THE WARNED AREA AS 
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS MOVED EAST INTO CENTRAL STARR COUNTY. 
STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING 
TO RECEDE...ENDING THE FLOOD THREAT. IF FLOODING HAS BEEN OBSERVED...
PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

$$

SPEECE

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 Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 12, 1:50 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 1:50 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
150 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

.DISCUSSION...THE FIRST HINTS OF PROBABLE CONVECTION OVR THE RGV
BEGAN JUST AFTER NOON TDY...AS SEA BREEZE FIRST TO INITIATE
CONVECTION. THIS WILL ALL CHANGE...AS TIME PROGRESSES...WITH UPPER
LEVEL ENERGY AND LOW AND MID LVL MSTR ADVECTION TAKING OVER. LATEST
GUIDANCE FROM 12Z AVN PUSHES RARE 100 PERCENT POPS FOR ALL VALLEY
LOCATIONS NOW THRU 12Z WED. TROF AXIS MVS FM EAST TO WEST...PLACING
RGV IN DEEP SOUTH FLOW BY LATE THIS PM...WITH SATURATED ATM AND
VIGOROUS UVM. THIS SATURATION OF OUR ATM AND AVAILABLE LIFT FM S/WV
ENERGY REMAINS IN PLACE THRU LATE THU...WITH UPPER HIGH RIDGING IN
FOR A SHORT DURATION FRI EARLY MRNG...THEN EASTERLY WAVE/GULF SFC
LOW PRESSURE EXERTS ITS INFLUENCE ON OUR REGION WITH ENERGY AND
MSTR ADVECTION AND RESULTING SHRAS/TSRAS LATE FRI NGT INTO SATURDAY.
MAX TEMPS WILL BE HAMPERED BY RAFL (WET-BULBING) AND OVC SKIES THRU
MOST OF THIS WEEK. WILL PLACE HIGHS IN UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90.

BOTH AVN AND ETA PLACE DEEPENING GULF SFC LOW APPROXIMATELY 300
MILES EAST OF POR BY 1 PM FRI...DEEPENING WITH TIME AS IT ROTATES
OVER VERY WARM GULF WATERS (SST 86 AND 87 DEG F OVR MOST OF THE
CENTRAL AND WESTERN GULF). BY 7 PM FRI...BOTH ETA AND AVN PLACE
DEEPENING SFC LOW 240 MILES SOUTHEAST OF POR...BRINGING COPIOUS RAFL
FM THE GULF INTO DEEP S TX LATE FRI AND HVY RAIN BLANKET OUR REGION
SAT WITH FLOODING POSSIBLE AFTER OUR RETRO LOW DUMPS 2 TO 4 INCHES
NOW THRU FRI. STRONG S/WV ENERGY MVS N TO S THRU THE BASE OF THE
TROF...INITIATING STRONG VERTICAL MOTION AND DRAWING PWATS OF 2.35
INCH TO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY OVERNGT. AVN MAINTAINS GOOD RUN TO RUN
CONSISTENCY...AND XPCT VIGOROUS CONVECTION TO DEVELOP NORTH OF OUR
REGION AND MV INTO DEEP S TX OVRNGT. AMS OVR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FLOW
IN THE VERTICAL GOES FROM OUR CURRENT NORTH FLOW TO SOUTH OVR DEEP
SOUTH TEXAS AS TROF AXIS RETROS WEST OF THE REGION. DEEP NORTH FLOW
REMAINS OVR BRO AT 1830Z...WITH DISPLACEMENT OF AXIS WEST IMMANENT
BUT TIMING UNSURE ATTM.

WILL BUMP POPS A CAT TO LIKELY AND MAY NEED FLASH FLOOD WATCH
POSTING SOON...WHEN CONVECTION SHOWS ITSELF. ATTM...WILL MAINTAIN
LIKELY POPS THRU 1ST THREE PDS....HIER WEST...FOR THIS PM AND
EVENING...AS NO CONVECTION HAS SHOWN ITSELF NORTH ATTM. AN INCREASE
IN POPS AGAIN MAY BE NEEDED ON AN UPDATE...IF CONVECTION BEGINS
DURING MID PM.

MARINE...AT 8 AM BUOY020 REPORTED SOUTH WINDS AT 6 KNOTS WITH SEAS 2
FOOT. AT NOON...BUOY REPORTED WINDS NORTH AT 10 KNOTS WITH 2 FOOTERS
AT 5 SEC PD. OBVIOUSLY...WX PATTERNS CHANGING QUICKLY. UPPER LEVEL
LOW PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO ENHANCE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL
DAYS. LIGHT TO MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW WILL PREVAIL DURING THIS TIME.
ONSHORE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE THURSDAY IN RESPONSE TO A
TROPICAL WAVE MOVING WESTWARD ACROSS FLORIDA INTO THE EASTERN GULF.
THIS WAVE WILL BRING ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION TO
THE WATERS FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

AVIATION...MAIN AVIATION CONCERNS REVOLVE AROUND EXPECTED SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL BUT AVIATION
CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE NEAR THUNDERSTORMS WITH VIS LESS THAN 3
MILES AND STRONG AND VARIABLE GUSTY WINDS. CIGS CUD DROP TO OVC010CB
IN TSTMS.

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BROWNSVILLE         BC 075/088 075/088 075 30/50/60/60/60
HARLINGEN           BC 074/089 074/089 074 30/50/60/60/60
MCALLEN             BC 075/090 075/090 075 30/50/60/60/60
RIO GRANDE CITY     BC 074 090 074/090 074 30/50/60/60/60
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND  BC 079/087 078/087 078 30/50/60/60/60

.BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

58/64

THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR INTERNET WEB PAGE AT:
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 12, 3:12 PM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
TXZ248>257-131100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
235 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...IN COMBINATION WITH A LINGERING
SEA BREEZE FRONT AND DAYTIME HEATING...WILL GENERATE SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SOME OF
THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE...PRODUCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60
MPH...HEAVY RAIN...FLOODING OF ROADWAYS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHEAST ON TUESDAY
THEN MOVE WESTWARD INTO MEXICO BY THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL
DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE AND INCREASE THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE
STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL TAPER TO ISOLATED COVERAGE FRIDAY AS THE UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH MOVES FARTHER WEST INTO NORTHWESTERN MEXICO AND UPPER
LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WESTERN GULF.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE ASKED TO MONITOR WEATHER
CONDITIONS CLOSELY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 12, 3:15 PM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE, TX
315 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0215 PM    BROWNSVILLE               TX   WIND DAMAGE
08/12/03   CAMERON                        THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG
                                          WINDS PRODUCED DAMAGE TO
                                          HIGHWAY SIGN ALONG HIGHWAY
                                          77 IN CENTRAL BROWNSVILLE.
                                          THE STORM ALSO BROKE THE
                                          LIMBS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM
                                          SIZED TREES.
Local storm report, Aug 12, 3:52 PM CDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE, TX
352 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0255 PM    2 E LA FERIA              TX   .75 INCH HAIL
08/12/03   CAMERON                        HAIL TO THE SIZE OE
                                          PENNIES WAS REPORTED BY A
                                          WEATHER SPOTTER.

0255 PM    2 E LA FERIA              TX   60 MPH WIND GUST
08/12/03   CAMERON                        STRONG WINDS TO 60 MPH
                                          WERE REPORTED BY A WEATHER
                                          SPOTTER IN A THUNDERSTORM.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 8:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROStarr39 min
Aug 12, 8:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROZapata59 min
Aug 12, 8:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROStarr42 min
Aug 12, 9:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg48 min
Aug 13, 1:36 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBROZapata3 hr
Aug 13, 3:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo62 min
Aug 13, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo47 min
Aug 13, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo42 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.