Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX

February 20, 20039 counties in Texas

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued this flash flood warning at Feb 20, 2003, 1:25 PM CST for 9 counties in Texas. It was in force for 4 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
Feb 20, 2003, 1:25 PM CST (19:25 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 2003, 5:30 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Bastrop County, TX, Blanco County, TX, Caldwell County, TX, Comal County, TX, Guadalupe County, TX, Hays County, TX, Lee County, TX, Travis County, TX, Williamson County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:26 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 257 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 2003-02-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 353 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2003-02-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 123 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
353 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
638 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KEWX 201925
FFWSAT
TXC021-031-055-091-187-209-287-453-491-202330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
125 PM CST THU FEB 20 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AUSTIN SAN ANTONIO HAS EXTENDED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
  WILLIAMSON
  TRAVIS
  LEE
  BLANCO
  BASTROP
  HAYS
  CALDWELL
  COMAL
  GUADALUPE

* UNTIL 530 PM CST

* AT 125 PM...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED 
  AREAS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED ACROSS THE WARNED COUNTIES.
  THE HEAVIEST RAINS WERE FROM NEAR CANYON LAKE TO SOUTH OF SEGUIN.

RAINFALL RATES OF AROUND ONE INCH PER HOUR WERE INDICATED.  THIS 
RAIN IS FALLING OVER AREAS THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT 
RAINFALL AND RUNOFF WILL BE RAPID.  THE RAIN IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 
20 MPH.

SHERIFF...POLICE...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REPORT 
NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD ROAD CLOSINGS. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR OTHER LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.


LAT...LON 2983 9850 2942 9787 2969 9760 3031 9670
          3092 9782

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 20, 6:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXBexar, Wilson46 min
Feb 20, 7:29 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBlanco, Comal, Hays, Kendall6 hr
Feb 20, 7:34 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXTravis, Williamson6 hr
Feb 20, 9:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBastrop, Caldwell, Lee4 hr
Feb 20, 9:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXGonzales52 min
Feb 20, 11:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEWXLavaca45 min
Feb 20, 4:33 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXFayette, Gonzales57 min
Feb 20, 5:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBlanco, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Travis and 1 more3 hr
Feb 20, 5:25 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningEWXBastrop, DeWitt, Fayette, Gonzales, Lavaca, Lee3 hr

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.