Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

September 11, 2003Live Oak County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this flash flood warning at Sep 11, 2003, 7:24 PM CDT for Live Oak 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
Sep 11, 2003, 7:24 PM CDT (00:24 UTC)
Expired
Sep 11, 2003, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Live Oak County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:25 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 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 112 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-09-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3552 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-09-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3552 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
930 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
8.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KCRP 120026
FFWCRP
TXC297-120230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
724 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL LIVE OAK COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 720 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER OAKVILLE...OR ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  GEORGE WEST.  THE AREA OF HEAVY RAIN WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. DOPPLER
  RADAR ESTIMATES OVER 2 AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN MAY HAVE FALLEN
  JUST SOUTH OF OAKVILLE SINCE 630 PM.   

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  GEORGE WEST...
  OAKVILLE...
  THREE RIVERS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND
ARROYOS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

LAT...LON 2845 9832 2827 9821 2828 9792 2864 9810

$$

TMT
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS74 KCRP 120107
FFSCRP
TXC297-120230-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
807 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR CENTRAL LIVE OAK COUNTY UNTIL
930 PM CDT...

AT 805 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WERE OCCURRING ACROSS 
CENTRAL LIVE OAK COUNTY ALONG INTERSTATE 37 NEAR OAKVILLE TO 
SOUTH OF THREE RIVERS. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED OVER 4 INCHES OF 
RAIN MAY HAVE FALLEN NEAR OAKVILLE SINCE 630 PM. THE THUNDERSTORMS 
WERE STATIONARY. 

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
OAKVILLE TO SOUTH OF THREE RIVERS. 

FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR SULPHUR CREEK 
AT OAKVILLE AND NEAR THE CONFLUENCE OF SULPHUR CREEK AND THE NUECES 
RIVER JUST TO THE WEST OF OAKVILLE.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND
ARROYOS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATERS COVERS THE ROADWAY.
THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY.
VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.

LAT...LON 2856 9805 2819 9786 2824 9831 2851 9831

$$

TMT
000 
WGUS74 KCRP 120140
FFSCRP
TXC297-120230-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
839 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR CENTRAL LIVE OAK COUNTY UNTIL
930 PM CDT...

AT 835 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WERE 
OCCURRING ACROSS CENTRAL LIVE OAK COUNTY FROM EAST OF OAKVILLE
TO SOUTH OF THREE RIVERS. THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO BE 
STATIONARY. DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED NEAR 5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS 
FALLEN NEAR OAKVILLE SINCE 630 PM WITH MORE RAINFALL EXPECTED.

LIVE OAK COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED WATER MOVING OVER THE
ACCESS ROAD OF INTERSTATE 37 AT SULPHUR CREEK NEAR OAKVILLE.

FLOODING OF SULPHUR CREEK AND AT THE CONFLUENCE OF SULPHUR CREEK
AND NUECES RIVER SOUTHWEST OF OAKVILLE IS LIKELY. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF 
FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND 
STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND ARROYOS...AS 
WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...
ACT QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO EXCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT
STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

LAT...LON 2846 9830 2827 9819 2834 9793 2865 9809

$$

TMT

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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 11, 3:15 PM CDT, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 11, 3:15 PM CDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before
SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
315 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

SHORT-TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT)...
UPPER LEVEL TROF PROGGED TO DIG SOUTHWARD INTO THE STATE AS STRONG
SHORTWAVE ROTATES AROUND THE BASE LATE TONIGHT.  VARIOUS MODEL
SOLUTIONS ARE SOMEWHAT HAZY AND THE ETA/NGM ARE CONSIDERABLY SLOWER
THAN GFS/UKMET/ECMWF.  CONCUR WITH EWX FORECASTER THAT THE FASTER
SOLUTION IS THE MOST REASONABLE AS MCS/MESOSCALE DYNAMICS WILL
DOMINATE REGARDLESS OF SUBTLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SYNOPTIC
TIMINGS.  UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES INCREASINGLY DIVERGENT IN THE
NEXT FEW HOURS OVER CENTRAL TX AND EXPECT A SQUALL LINE TO DEVELOP
ALONG AN EAGLE PASS TO DFW LINE BY EARLY EVENING.  CORFIDI VECTORS
INDICATE THAT PROPAGATION OF ANY MCS WOULD BE SE WITH RELATIVELY
LIMITED FORWARD SPEED...AROUND 10-15KTS.  THIS WOULD INCREASE THE
THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL AS THE LOW LEVEL JET WILL PROVIDE GOOD
INFLOW OF DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE.  THICKNESS VALUES ALSO ARE
DIVERGENT WHICH IS A HEAVY RAINFALL PLUS.  DUE TO RECENT RAINFALL
WITH SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH OVER AT LEAST
THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA IS LIKELY A GOOD CALL.

ORGANIZED CONVECTION WILL LIKELY ENTER THE WESTERN CWA AFTER
MIDNIGHT AND MOVE EAST AND INTO THE GULF BY FRI AFTERNOON.  SLIGHT
POSSIBILITY STILL EXISTS THAT IF SQUALL LINE DOES NOT MAKE IT
THROUGH THE AREA...MOISTURE/INSTABILITY WILL LINGER INTO FRIDAY
NIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY LOW POPS.  HOWEVER NEXT SHIFT WILL
LIKELY BE ABLE TO DISCERN WHETHER THESE POPS CAN BE DROPPED
ALTOGETHER.  TEMPS WILL BE RAIN COOLED TONIGHT/FRIDAY AND WONT MAKE
DEVIATE FROM THE MAV/MET GUIDANCE.  CONVECTION FRI MORNING WILL GIVE
THE APPEARANCE OF A COLD FRONT BUT WILL FCST LIGHT NW WINDS THEN NE
BY FRI NIGHT BEFORE MAIN HIGH PRESSURE SURGE ARRIVES. SKIES SHOULD
CLEAR FROM W TO E LATE FRIDAY ALLOWING FOR SOME DECENT RADIATIONAL
COOLING AND FOG LATE FRI NIGHT.  ON THE MARINE SIDE...WILL HOLD ON
TO CHC OF RAIN THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT AS FRONT WILL LIKELY STALL
OFFSHORE.  WILL NEED TO HOIST SCA OFFSHORE TONIGHT DUE TO 30KT LLJ
FEEDING INTO CONVECTION TO THE NORTH.

LONG-TERM (SAT THROUGH THU)...EXPECT THE SFC FRONT TO STALL ACROSS
THE COASTAL WATERS SAT...AS THE GFS/UKMET/NOGAPS LIFTS THE UPPER
SYSTEM AWAY TOWARD THE NE. THUS...CONVECTION TO CONTINUE OVR THE
WATERS AT LEAST THROUGH SAT NGT. PAST TWO RUNS OF THE GFS CONSISTENT
WITH ANOTHER UPPER SYSTEM MOVG ACRS THE CNTRL CONUS...RESULTING IN A
FROPA OVR THE CWFA BY SUN. CONCUR WITH THIS SOLN AND EXPECT PCPN TO
END OVR THE WATERS MON. WIND SPEEDS MAY APPROACH SCA CONDITIONS LATE
SUN-MON OVR THE COASTAL WATERS. THE MOST RECENT GFS PROGS YET
ANOTHER UPPER DISTURBANCE TO ENTER THE ROCKIES BY WED AND CONTRIBUTE
TO MSTR RTN BY THU...HWR GFS RUNS INCONSISTENT WITH RESPECT TO THIS
SOLN. UNSURE WHETHER MSTR WL BE SUFFICIENT TO GENERATE CONVECTION
TUE-THU AND WL RETAIN THE DRY FCST.

CRP TB 075/085 069/087 069 683
VCT TB 073/084 066/086 069 883
LRD TB 074/090 068/088 069 752

.CRP...SCA OFFSHORE ZONES TONIGHT.
       FLASH FLOOD WATCH 231>234-241-247 THROUGH 18Z FRI.

TR/92..SHOT-TERM
87...LONG-TERM
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 11, 5:45 AM CDT, 13 hours 39 minutes before
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-121100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
545 AM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY OF THE
COASTAL BEND AND VICTORIA AREA...WITH ISOLATED ACTIVITY OVER THE RIO
GRANDE PLAINS.  ALSO...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT MAINLY OVER THE NORTHERN
COASTAL BEND AND VICTORIA AREAS...AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW APPROACHES
SOUTH TEXAS. THE MAIN CONCERN WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...
WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS AROUND 3 INCHES POSSIBLE BY SUNRISE ON FRIDAY.
HOWEVER...MOST LOCATIONS WILL AVERAGE AROUND 1/2 INCH.  A FEW STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS...PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OF 50 MPH AND PEA TO MARBLE
SIZED HAIL...ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON.  FINALLY...
AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES ARE EXPECTED TO RISE TO BETWEEN 105 AND 109
DEGREES OVER INLAND SECTIONS OF THE COASTAL BEND...VICTORIA AREA
AND RIO GRANDE PLAINS.  OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH
SOUTH TEXAS AND THE ADJACENT WATERS ON FRIDAY. AS A RESULT...SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO
FRIDAY MORNING ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS AND SPREAD EAST THROUGHOUT THE
DAY. VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS WILL
ACCOMPANY THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...WILL BE
POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH THE HEAVIEST
RAIN OCCURRING ACROSS THE NORTHERN COASTAL BEND AND VICTORIA
CROSSROADS REGION. THE WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH OFFSHORE ON SATURDAY
WITH RAIN CHANCES DECREASING FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY MORNING. A
STRONGER SURGE OF DRIER AIR WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA LATE SUNDAY.
MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY STRONG NORTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THIS
SECOND FRONT. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED AS A RESULT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

GW/JR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 11, 9:24 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPLive Oak66 min
Sep 12, 2:08 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPLive Oak112 min
Sep 12, 2:11 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP2 hr
Sep 12, 2:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPBee58 min
Sep 12, 3:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPAransas, Refugio, San Patricio58 min
Sep 12, 3:41 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP64 min
Sep 12, 3:41 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP64 min
Sep 12, 4:07 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningCRPNueces, San Patricio3 hr
Sep 12, 4:45 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP2 hr
Sep 12, 4:45 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP2 hr
Sep 12, 6:40 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP80 min
Sep 12, 6:46 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningCRP74 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.