Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Brownsville, TX
NWS Brownsville, TX issued this flash flood warning at Aug 13, 2003, 1:36 PM CDT for Zapata 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
- Aug 13, 2003, 1:36 PM CDT (18:36 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 13, 2003, 4:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Brownsville, TX
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Zapata County, TX
The radar
The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 182 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:37 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
Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 195 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1441 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -16 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 803 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 15 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -2 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 7 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS54 KBRO 131838 FFWBRO TXC505-132130- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 136 PM CDT WED AUG 13 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... ZAPATA COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS * UNTIL 430 PM CDT * AT 131 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON... IN ADDITION TO 3 TO 5 INCHES RECEIVED IN THIS AREA YESTERDAY. * SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IN THE WARNED AREA. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...ZAPATA...SAN YGNACIO AND ESCOBA. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS. 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 2720 9897 2684 9898 2666 9926 2716 9953 $$ PHILO
1 follow-up statement
000 WGUS74 KBRO 131936 FFSBRO TXC505-132000- FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 233 PM CDT WED AUG 13 2003 ...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR ZAPATA COUNTY UNTIL 430 PM CDT HAS BEEN CANCELED... THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS HAVE MOVED EAST OF ZAPATA COUNTY NOW. THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR ZAPATA COUNTY UNTIL 430 PM CDT HAS BEEN CANCELED. REMEMBER...EXCESS RUNOFF FROM PREVIOUS HEAVY RAIN OVER THE WARNED AREA CAN STILL DRIVING PROBLEMS. STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING TO RECEDE NOW...ENDING THE FLOOD THREAT. IF FLOODING HAS BEEN OBSERVED...PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. LAT...LON 2726 9898 2678 9899 2658 9921 2723 9965 $$ PHILO
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 13, 9:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 9:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 900 AM CDT WED AUG 13 2003 .DISCUSSION...NVA DOMINATES DEEP SOUTH TX WX THIS MRNG AS PROXIMITY TO UPPER LOW OVR SAT INDUCES GENERAL SINKING OF RGV ATM. WITH TIME TDY...PVA ROTATES AROUND THE WRN SIDE OF LOW CENTER...WITH SOME CONVECTION BEING ALLOWED BY 21Z...MAINLY WEST. NOT UNTIL 00Z...DO WE SEE THE H7 OMEGA FIELD RESPOND TO CONVECTION...WITH A SUGGESTION THAT TSTMS WILL NOT DEVELOP UNTIL LATE PM. AS OUR UPPER LOW MVS TO THE TX BIG BEND...MSTR CONVERGES TO THE RGV AS A SFC TROF DEVELOPS OVR THE MEXICAN AND U.S. GULF WATERS. HVY RAFL XPCTD AS TSTMS ADVECT ONSHORE FM THE ADJ GULF THU MRNG AND CONTINUES TO STREAM NW OVR THE RGV THRU THE DAY. BY FRI...THE FL STRAITS WAVE AND SFC REFLECTION SENDS MSTR AND ENERGY ONCE AGAIN OVR OUR REGION...WITH HVY RAINS LIKELY FRI AND SAT. WILL UPDATE FCST TO REFLECT THIS ANALYSIS AND CUT GRIDS ACCORDINGLY. .MARINE...GULF FLOW NORTH AT 8 KTS WITH 2 FOOTERS. A S/WV 500 MB TROUGH ALONG THE TEXAS COASTLINE WILL ENHANCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE AREA THROUGH FRI. THE TROUGH SHOULD MAKE ITS WAY INLAND TONIGHT AND THURSDAY CAUSING SOMEWHAT DRIER AND MORE WEATHER CONDITIONS BY FRIDAY. THE AIRMASS SHOULD BE RELATIVELY DRY AND STABLE FOR THE WEEKEND. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT TO MODERATE OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST ALONG THE AXIS OF THE TROUGH THROUGH THURSDAY. LONG TERM MODELS INDICATE WINDS INCREASING FROM THE SOUTH THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK CAUSING MODERATE SOUTHEAST WINDS. .AVIATION...VFR CONDS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING WITH LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON CAUSING TEMPO IFR CONDITIONS IN ANY THUNDERSTORMS. MVFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TONIGHT AS THE TROUGH CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE DEEP SOUTH TEXAS COASTLINE. EXPECT WX TO DEGENERATE THURSDAY...AS STRONG TSTMS WITH HVY RAFL DEVELOP. .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL ET 089/076 089/077 090 20/50/60/30/30 BROWNSVILLE ET 090/075 089/075 091 30/50/60/30/30 HARLINGEN ET 091/074 090/074 092 30/50/60/30/30 MCALLEN ET 092/073 091/074 094 40/50/60/40/30 RIO GRANDE CITY ET 093 073 091/074 096 50/70/70/50/30 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND ET 088/077 088/077 088 20/50/60/30/30 && .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 13, 6:00 AM CDT, 7 hours 36 minutes before
TXZ248>257-141100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 600 AM CDT WED AUG 13 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE...IN COMBINATION WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL GENERATE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT. 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. 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 TODAY AND TONIGHT.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 12:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
GMZ130-150-155-170-175-TXZ248>257-140300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1205 PM CDT WED AUG 13 2003 ...ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS... AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS CURRENTLY MOVING JUST NORTH OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...AND WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE TEXAS BIG BEND BY THURSDAY. COPIOUS MOISTURE...AMPLE LIFT AND A CONSISTENT UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL ENCOURAGE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY NOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...AND INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THURSDAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT FOR ALL OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY ON THURSDAY...AND POSSIBLY BEYOND. YESTERDAY...DEEP SOUTH TEXAS RECEIVED 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL OVER AREAS OF ZAPATA AND STARR COUNTIES...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL CAMERON COUNTY. BROWNSVILLE IS CURRENTLY 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL BELOW NORMAL FOR THE YEAR...AND THESE HEAVY RAINS SHOULD BRING RELIEF TO A DRY AND HOT DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER THE TEXAS BIG BEND IS NOT THE ONLY PLAYER IN THIS HEAVY RAIN EVENT...AS A TROPICAL WAVE IS FORECAST TO MOVE QUICKLY WEST FROM THE FLORIDA STRAITS FRIDAY... INDUCING HEAVY RAINS IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY BY LATE FRIDAY THROUGH LATE SATURDAY. ALTHOUGH RAINS ARE NEEDED IN ALL OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY... FLOODING IS A REAL HAZARD THAT MUST BE ANTICIPATED DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. REMEMBER TO DRIVE ACCORDING TO WEATHER CONDITIONS AND VISIBILITIES...AS HEAVY RAINS CAN REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. ROADWAY PONDING AND FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS CAN QUICKLY JERK A CAR OFF THE ROAD...OR INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH AND REMEMBER OUR NEW LIFE-SAVING SLOGAN HERE AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN. AS ALWAYS...CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...OR YOUR LOCAL CABLE OUTLET...FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. PHILO PHILO
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 12:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
TXZ248>257-140300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 1205 PM CDT WED AUG 13 2003 ...ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS... AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS CURRENTLY MOVING JUST NORTH OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...AND WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE TEXAS BIG BEND BY THURSDAY. COPIOUS MOISTURE...AMPLE LIFT AND A CONSISTENT UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL ENCOURAGE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY NOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...AND INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THURSDAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT FOR ALL OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY ON THURSDAY...AND POSSIBLY BEYOND. YESTERDAY...DEEP SOUTH TEXAS RECEIVED 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL OVER AREAS OF ZAPATA AND STARR COUNTIES...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL CAMERON COUNTY. BROWNSVILLE IS CURRENTLY 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL BELOW NORMAL FOR THE YEAR...AND THESE HEAVY RAINS SHOULD BRING RELIEF TO A DRY AND HOT DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER THE TEXAS BIG BEND IS NOT THE ONLY PLAYER IN THIS HEAVY RAIN EVENT...AS A TROPICAL WAVE IS FORECAST TO MOVE QUICKLY WEST FROM THE FLORIDA STRAITS FRIDAY... INDUCING HEAVY RAINS IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY BY LATE FRIDAY THROUGH LATE SATURDAY. ALTHOUGH RAINS ARE NEEDED IN ALL OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY... FLOODING IS A REAL HAZARD THAT MUST BE ANTICIPATED DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. REMEMBER TO DRIVE ACCORDING TO WEATHER CONDITIONS AND VISIBILITIES...AS HEAVY RAINS CAN REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. ROADWAY PONDING AND FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS CAN QUICKLY JERK A CAR OFF THE ROAD...OR INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH AND REMEMBER OUR NEW LIFE-SAVING SLOGAN HERE AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN. AS ALWAYS...CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...OR YOUR LOCAL CABLE OUTLET...FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. PHILO PHILO
The office that day
Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 7:25 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BRO | Starr | 2 hr |
| Aug 12, 8:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Starr | 39 min |
| Aug 12, 8:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Zapata | 59 min |
| Aug 12, 8:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Starr | 42 min |
| Aug 12, 9:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Jim Hogg | 48 min |
| Aug 13, 3:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo | 62 min |
| Aug 13, 4:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo | 47 min |
| Aug 13, 5:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BRO | Hidalgo | 42 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.