Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 63, NWS Corpus Christi, TX

November 17, 2003Victoria County, Texas

NWS Corpus Christi, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 17, 2003, 12:10 PM CST for Victoria County, Texas. It was in force for 65 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
Nov 17, 2003, 12:10 PM CST (18:10 UTC)
Expired
Nov 17, 2003, 1:15 PM CST
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Corpus Christi, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Victoria County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:13 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Nov 17, 8:20 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 130 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 12:00Z on 2003-11-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1818 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2003-11-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 150 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
1818 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
573 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
150 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
8.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KCRP 171810
SVRCRP
TXC469-171915-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1210 PM CST MON NOV 17 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL VICTORIA COUNTY IN TEXAS

* UNTIL 115 PM CST

* AT 1203 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER BLOOMINGTON...OR ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTH OF
  VICTORIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...
  HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES...
  WINDS UP TO 60 MILES AN HOUR...
  VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING...


A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE 
WARNING. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST MONDAY 
AFTERNOON FOR TEXAS.

LAT...LON 2869 9704 2857 9689 2893 9640 2912 9662

$$

JM

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 Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Nov 17, 10:00 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 10:00 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SOUTH TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1000 AM CST MON NOV 17 2003

.UPDATE...A TORNDADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR VICTORIA AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES UNTIL 1 PM CST. ALTHOUGH HELICITY VALUES ARE BEST AROUND
HOUS AREA AND DECREASE FARTHER S...VCT AND CAL COUNTIES DO HAVE
SOME POTENTIAL FOR ROTATION. FEEL CWA WILL SEE A LULL ONCE THE S/WV
EXITS TO THE NE BY AROUND 18Z. ANOTHER EMBEDDED WEAK S/WV IS EVIDENT
ON SATELLITE TO THE WEST AND SW OF CW OVR MEX. MESO ETA TAKES THIS
S/WV MORE N THRU 18Z. THE MAIN TROF AXIS WL CONT TO SHFT E CLOSER TO
CWA THRU THE AFTERNOON. WITH DESTABILIZATION/DIURNAL HEATING...AND
ANOTHER S/WV...EXPECT REDEVELOPMENT BY LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING...WITH
A THREAT FOR SVR ONCE AGAIN...AS MODELS INDICATING SQUALL LINE JUST
AHD AND ALONG THE WSHFT/CF WHICH IS SCHEDULED SOMETIME BETWEEN 03Z
AND 06Z. FCST LOOKS OKAY AT THE MOMENT...BUT MAY BE ABLE TO DROP TOR
WATCH PRIOR TO 1 PM WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ONE LATER.

TE...81

&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)...SHRAS/TSRAS CONTINUE TO
INCREASE IN COVERAGE THIS MORNING ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS AND
NRN COASTAL BEND AS THE NOSE OF A STRONG JET STREAK OF 130+ KT
IMPINGES UPON THE AREA.  A FAVORABLE UPR DIV/DIFL PATTERN WL REMAIN
ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH TX THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND EVE AS A POTENT S/WV
APPROACHES FROM NRN MEXICO.  IT APPEARS THAT THE NRN ZONES WL BE
UNDER THE GUN THE MOST WITH THIS SYSTEM.  A STRONG S/SW LLJ WL TEND
TO LIMIT PCPN POTENTIAL FURTHER SOUTH.  WHILE THE OVERALL
INSTABILITY WL NOT BE TOO IMPRESSIVE GIVEN THE ABUNDANT
CLOUDS...THINK THE DYNAMICS WL BE ENOUGH TO GENERATE SOME STRONG TO
SVR STORMS.  EXPECT THE BEST BET TO ONCE AGAIN BE ACROSS THE NRN
HALF OF THE AREA WITH THE MAIN SVR THREAT BEING DAMAGING WINDS GIVEN
THE INCREASINGLY UNIDIRECTIONAL SHEAR PROFILE AND HIGH WBZ VALUES.
CONVECTION WL TEND TO BECOME MORE LINEAR WITH TIME AS A RESULT AND A
POSSIBLE SQUALL LINE BY THE AFTN/EVE IS REASONABLE TO ACCEPT.  THIS
LINE OF STORMS WL PUSH ACROSS MOST OF THE LAND AREAS BY MIDNIGHT
BEFORE SWEEPING THROUGH THE WATERS IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON
TUE.  RAPID CLEARING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATER TNT ACROSS THE WEST
AND THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA ON TUE AS A SECONDARY S/WV PUSHES EWD
AND THE PACIFIC FNT CLEARS THE AREA.  A SURGE IN WIND IS EXPECTED ON
TUE WITH THIS SECOND WAVE AND WL PRODUCE BREEZY/WINDY CONDITIONS.
WL GO A LTL BIT WARMER WITH TEMPS ON TUE GIVEN THE EXCELLENT MIXING
AND PACIFIC NATURE OF THE FNT.

WITH THE INCREASING JET DYNAMICS AND EXPECTED LLJ INCREASE TO 30-40
KTS...WL GO WITH SCA CONDITIONS TDA/TNT FOR THE WATERS.  WINDS WL
ACTUALLY SLACKEN OFF A BIT TNT BEFORE INCREASING ONCE AGAIN ON TUE
BEHIND THE FNT.

&&

.LONG-TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...MAIN FORECAST PROBLEMS
IN THE LONG TERM WILL BE TEMPERATURES AND POTENTIAL FOR LINGERING
SCA CONDITIONS TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.  GFS AND ETA CONTINUE
TO SLOWLY BUILD HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF
THE WEEK.  GRADIENT IS PROGGED TO REMAIN TIGHT OVER THE WESTERN GULF
THROUGH WEDNESDAY SO WILL LIKELY NEED TO KEEP SCA CONDITIONS UNTIL
THEN. COLD ADVECTION WILL BEGIN SUBSIDE TUESDAY NIGHT BUT
TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY FALL WELL INTO THE 40S ESPECIALLY OVER
NORTHERN AREAS.  TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE LATER THIS WEEK AS
RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS.  LATEST CANADIAN AND GFS SHOW UPPER TROUGH
PROGRESSING THROUGH THE WESTERN STATES NEXT WEEKEND.  THERE ARE SOME
DISCREPENCIES WITH SURFACE FEATURES BUT APPEARS THAT FRONT WILL
APPROACH THE REGION BY SUNDAY. THINK SUFFICIENT MOISTURE WILL BE
AVAILABLE FOR SOME CONVECTION SO FOR NOW...WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE
FOR SHOWERS GOING FOR SUNDAY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CORPUS CHRISTI 85 64 81 49 / 20 70 10 00
VICTORIA       82 61 77 46 / 50 80 10 00
LAREDO         83 60 80 50 / 40 40 00 00

&&

.CRP...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...SCA FOR ALL WATERS.

&&

80/MB...SHORT TERM
72/AP...LONG-TERM
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 8:40 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-TXZ229>234-239>247-181200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
840 AM CST MON NOV 17 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST FOR VICTORIA AND
CALHOUN COUNTIES. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TO THE
NORTH OF AN ENCINAL TO SKIDMORE TO ROCKPORT LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.  THIS IS
DUE TO AN APPROACHING STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND STRONG JET
STREAM. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS MAINLY AN AREA STRETCHING
FROM LASALLE COUNTY EASTWARD TO ARANSAS COUNTY.  HOWEVER A MORE
ORGANIZED BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT LATER THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE
PLAINS AND NORTHERN COASTAL BEND.  THIS BAND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN PUSH EASTWARD THIS EVENING ACROSS THE
REMAINDER OF SOUTH TEXAS.  STRONG WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 60 MPH
WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SLIGHT RISK AREA.  OTHERWISE...HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL ACCOMPANY SOME OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY
AND THIS EVENING.  RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO TWO INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE
BETWEEN COTULLA AND VICTORIA THROUGH THIS EVENING.  IMPROVING
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BY MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS AND
AFTER MIDNIGHT ELSEWHERE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFFSHORE ON TUESDAY.  STRONG NORTHWEST
WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL PRODUCE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS
OVER THE WATERS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

TE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 17, 7:59 AM CST, 4 hours 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
759 AM CST MON NOV 17 2003

TXZ234-247-171900-
CALHOUN-VICTORIA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF PORT LAVACA...PORT OCONNOR AND VICTORIA
759 AM CST MON NOV 17 2003

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CALHOUN AND VICTORIA COUNTIES...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH VALID UNTIL
100 PM CST MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF
CALHOUN AND VICTORIA. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE PORT
LAVACA...PORT OCONNOR...SEADRIFT AND VICTORIA.

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO OCCUR
IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA. IF TORNADOES DO IN FACT DEVELOP OR ARE
SPOTTED...THEN A TORNADO WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE
ACTIVATION. RESIDENTS ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE
READY TO QUICKLY ACT IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA. IF
SEVERE WEATHER THREATENS YOUR AREA...THEN MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM
AND LAY DOWN ON THE FLOOR. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...LAY FLAT DOWN ON THE
GROUND...PREFERABLY IN A DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT. NEVER TRY TO OUTRUN
SEVERE WEATHER.

MB
Special weather statement, Nov 17, 11:26 AM CST, 44 minutes before
TXZ234-246-171800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1126 AM CST MON NOV 17 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS REFUGIO AND VICTORIA
COUNTIES...
...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR VICTORIA AND CALHOUN COUNTIES UNTIL
1PM CST...

AT 1125 AM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM ABOUT
15 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF VICTORIA ALONG HIGHWAY 87 NEAR
DACOSTA.  ANOTHER STORM WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHEAST REFUGIO COUNTY
AROUND 10 MILES WEST OF MCFADDIN. VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVES NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO OCCUR
IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA. IF TORNADOES DO IN FACT DEVELOP OR ARE
SPOTTED...THEN A TORNADO WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.

JM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 17, 10:11 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPRefugio, San Patricio2 hr
Nov 17, 10:19 AM CSTTornado WarningCRPRefugio41 min
Nov 17, 11:15 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningCRPVictoria105 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.