Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Brownsville, TX

April 25, 2003Hidalgo County, Kenedy County, Willacy County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 25, 2003, 5:59 PM CDT for Hidalgo County, Kenedy County, Willacy County, Texas. It was in force for 46 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
Apr 25, 2003, 5:59 PM CDT (22:59 UTC)
Expired
Apr 25, 2003, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Hidalgo County, TX, Kenedy County, TX, Willacy County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:58 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

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 108 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 12:00Z on 2003-04-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 924 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 12:00Z on 2003-04-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -88 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
924 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-501 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1488 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

159 
WUUS54 KBRO 252259
SVRBRO
TXC215-261-489-252345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
559 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN WILLACY COUNTY 
  SOUTHWESTERN KENEDY COUNTY 
  NORTHERN HIDALGO COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 559 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN          
  BROWNSVILLE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTH OF SAN  
  MANUEL...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF...
  HIDALGO...KENEDY AND WILLACY COUNTIES.

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO 
GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS 
IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. 
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE 
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

LAT...LON 2679 9817 2671 9826 2646 9787 2660 9774
          2678 9800

$$

SPEECE

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 Brownsville, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 25, 5:00 PM CDT, 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 25, 5:00 PM CDT, 59 minutes before
DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
500 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2003

***SHORT TERM UPDATE...AFTERNOON DIRUNAL HEATING IS APPARENTLY
STRONG ENOUGH TO FIRE OFF SOME CONV OVER THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN
PORTIONS OF THE CWA.  ADDITIONAL LIFT OCCURING ALONG AND AHEAD OF
THE WESTWARD MOVING AFTERNOON SEA-BREEZE IS ALSO HELPING ENHANCE
CONV.  WILL UPDATE TO INCLUDE A MENTION OF EARLY EVENING CONV OVER
THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN TIER OF COUNTIES IN THE BRO CWA.  THE LOSS
OF THE AFTERNOON HEATING AFTER SUNSET SHOULD ALLOW CONV TO DIE OFF
LATER THIS EVENING.  OTHERWISE...THE REST OF THE ZFP LOOKS OK.***

TONIGHT THRU MON...THICKEST SMOKE FROM FIRES OVER CHIAPAS/N
GUATEMALA REGION IS BEING ADVECTED NNE ACRS THE CNTRL GULF BY LOW
LEVEL WINDS. CLOSER TO HOME...H8 SHEAR ZONE ACRS DPSOTEX INTO NE MEX
COASTAL WATERS IS ADVECTING SOME SMOKE FROM THE W BAY OF CAMPECHE N
ALONG THE SIERRA MADRE ORIENTAL. AGGRAVATING MATTERS IS THE LOW
LEVEL INVERSION WHICH DROPPED FROM 2500 FT YDA TO 1100 FT THIS
MORNING. SOME BRIEF RELIEF WILL BE OFFERED THIS AFTN...AS TAIL END
OF COOL FRONT WAGGLES INTO THE CWA...FORCING THE SHEAR ZONE S ALONG
THE RIO GRANDE AND BREAKING THE INVERSION THEREBY ALLOWING SMOKE TO
MIX OUT SOME. LOW LVL EASTERLY FLOW OVER W GULF WILL POOL MOISTURE
ALONG THE SIERRA MADRE ORIENTAL...UNDER H8 CAP SO EXPECT SOME LOW
CLDS TO RETURN TONIGHT...BUT SHUD MIX OUT BY AFTN. WITH HIGH DEWPTS
AND LIGHT WINDS...WILL MENTION FOG TONIGHT. SUN SHUD SEE A RE-RUN
WITH NIGHTTIME/EARLY MORNING LOW CLD COVER SAT NIGHT...AS DEEP SE
FLOW ADVECTS WARM MOIST GULF AIR. CLOUDS WILL MIX OUT AS INVERSION
BREAKS...LEADING TO MOSTLY SUNNY SUN AFTN. E-SE LOW LEVEL FLOW OVER
WEEKEND SHOULD TEMPER AFTN TEMPS. DEEP WAA CONTINUES SUN NIGHT...AS
MOISTURE FLOWS TWD SFC BNDRY OVR CNTRL PLAINS. RIPPLES IN NW FLOW UP
THE H5 RIDGE OVR THE NW GULF INTO THE NRN HI PLAINS WILL PROVIDE UVM
AND SLGT CHC OF TSRA/SHRA FOR MON.

TUE THRU FRI...RIPPLES MOVE THRU THE H5 RIDGE ACRS THE PLAINS IN SW
FLOW DOWNSTREAM OF CUTOFF LOW OFF W COAST. LEE-SIDE TROUGH ACRS N
NUEVO LEON AND TAMPICO GENERATES SOME UVM ON TUE SUFFICIENT FOR
ISOLD TSRA/SHRA ON TUE AND ENTRAINS DRIER AIR INTO DPSOTEX FOR
WED...SO WILL REMOVE MENTION OF TSRA/SHRA FOR WED/THU...GO WITH
PTCLDY WED-FRI AND BUMP UP AFTN TEMPS A BIT FOR WED AND THU. BREEZY
E ON WED-FRI WITH TIGHTER SPG DUE TO SFC TROUGH FROM NE MEX INTO
CNTRL PLAINS. LLJ INCRS FRI NIGHT...AHD OF H5 CLOSED LOW DROPPING SE
ACRS CA...INCRG CLD COVER.

MARINE...MARINE...LIGHT WESTERLY WINDS AND 4 FEET SEAS NOW REPORTED
AT BUOY 020. A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE AREA WILL VEER
WINDS TO THE EAST THIS WEEKEND.  MONDAY AND TUESDAY SOUTHEASTERLY
WINDS WILL RETURN IN RESPONSE TO A TROUGH APPROACHING WEST TEXAS.
THE SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AND AN ACTIVE SUBTROPICAL JET WILL INCREASE
THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED SHOWERS ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

AVIATION...CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT VARIABLE WINDS AT BRO. TONIGHT
LIGHT WINDS AND HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED WHICH WILL
RESULT IN FOG.

.BRO...NONE.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES ONLY...
BRO BB 069/084 068/084 068 00/00/00/00/00
HRL BB 067/086 067/086 067 00/00/00/00/00
MFE BB 068/087 065/087 065 00/00/00/00/00
RGC BB 066/088 064/088 064 00/00/00/00/00
SPI BB 069/080 069/080 070 00/00/00/00/00

SYNOPTIC...59
MESO-AVIATION-MARINE...60

THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR INTERNET WEB PAGE AT:
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/BRO
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 25, 5:10 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
TXZ248>257-260900-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
510 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DEEP SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

A WESTWARD MOVING SEA BREEZE HAS COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT AFTERNOON
HEATING TO FIRE OFF SOME SCATTERED EARLY EVENING SHOWER AND
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.  THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
PERSIST THROUGHOUT SUNSET AND THEN WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE POSSIBLE BEGINNING SUNDAY...AS DEEPENING
LOW PRESSURE OVER WEST TEXAS PRODUCES MODERATE TO STRONG ONSHORE
WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THROUGHOUT SUNSET TONIGHT.

SPEECE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 25, 5:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo, Kenedy52 min
Apr 25, 5:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks39 min
Apr 25, 5:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROKenedy64 min
Apr 25, 6:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROKenedy, Willacy43 min
Apr 25, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Jim Hogg, Starr53 min
Apr 25, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROKenedy49 min
Apr 25, 6:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROCameron, Hidalgo, Willacy57 min
Apr 25, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROHidalgo36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2003Every severe thunderstorm 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.