Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

July 15, 2003Chambers County, Harris County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Jul 15, 2003, 8:42 AM CDT for Chambers County, Harris 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
Jul 15, 2003, 8:42 AM CDT (13:42 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 2003, 11:45 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Chambers County, TX, Harris County, TX

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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2003-07-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1103 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2003-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -31 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1103 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
661 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-6 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.

000 
WGUS54 KHGX 151341
FFWHOU
TXC071-201-151645-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
842 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HARRIS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  CHAMBERS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 1145 AM CDT

* AT 831 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF VERY HEAVY 
  THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH CLAUDETTE...FROM ANAHUAC TO DOWNTOWN
  HOUSTON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 4 INCHES HAVE FALLEN FROM DEER   
  PARK EASTWARD THROUGH CHAMBERS COUNTY. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS 
  OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY WITH THIS BAND AS IT MOVES WEST AT 
  40 MPH.

* FLOODING IS EXPECTED IN OR NEAR...
  HOUSTON METRO AREA...DOWNTOWN HOUSTON...INTERSTATE 45              
  SOUTH...INTERSTATE 10 EAST...THE MEDICAL CENTER...CLEAR 
  LAKE...DEER PARK...PASADENA...MONT BELVIEU...ANAHUAC...OAK ISLAND

DO NOT CROSS ANY LOCATION WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE COUNTY SHERIFF...LOCAL POLICE...OR
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3010 9559 2974 9563 2963 9546 2963 9528
          2956 9517 2964 9439 2990 9444 2987 9498
          3013 9515 3001 9524

$$

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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 15, 6:51 AM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 6:51 AM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
651 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003

UPDATE DISC...
SPC HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1 PM.  CURRENT RADAR
INDICATES A POSSIBLE TORNADO ASSOCIATED WITH A RAIN BAND MOVING INTO
HIGH ISLAND AND CHAMBERS COUNTY.  CAN EXPECT THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY
INTO THIS AFTERNOON AS THE FAVORED NORTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE STORM
MOVES ACROSS THE TWO TIER OF COUNTIES ALONG THE COAST.

PREV DISC...
HAVE ALREADY UPDATE THE FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE SOUTHERN
HALF OF SE TX.  HURRICANE CLAUDETTE HAS BEEN MOVING ALMOST DUE WEST
OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS.  RAIN BANDS HAVE MOVED ONTO THE COASTAL
COUNTIES WITH A HEAVIER BAND CURRENTLY JUST OFF THE COAST.  THE MAIN
CONCERNS FOR THIS MORNING INCLUDE HIGH WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL...AND
ISOLATED TORNADOES.  AS CLAUDETTE GETS CLOSER TO THE COAST...THE
SYSTEM WILL MORE AND MORE BE INFLUENCED BY THE 200 AND 300 MB TROUGH
LOCATED JUST INLAND ACROSS THE ENTIRE TX COASTAL PLAIN.

THE COMBINATION OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW AND THE CURRENT STORM
MOVEMENT IN RELATION TO THE COAST INDICATES THAT THE STORM CENTER MAY
ACTUALLY TRY TO GO WEST-SOUTHWEST BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL.  THE MASS OF
RAIN BANDS JUST OFF THE COAST SHOULD ALSO MOVE INLAND AND AFFECT THE
NORTHERN COUNTIES.  FOR NOW THE RAINFALL POTENTIAL LOOKS TO BE 2 TO 6
INCHES WITH ISOLATED 10 INCHES...THOUGH WITH THE SYSTEM SPEEDING UP
THESE MAY BE ON THE HIGH SIDE.  FAVORED AREAS FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES
LOOK TO BE ACROSS CHAMBERS...GALVESTON...HARRIS...BRAZORIA...FORT
BEND...MATAGORDA...AND JACKSON COUNTIES.  EXPECTING THE WORST WINDS
OVER THE COASTAL COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE MORNING...THEN INTO THE FAR
SOUTHERN COUNTIES INTO EARLY AFTERNOON AS THE STORM CENTER GETS
ONSHORE.

AFTER CLAUDETTE TODAY THE RIDGE TO THE NORTH BUILDS ACROSS THE
PLAINS.  BY THIS WEEKEND THE ECMWF AND GFS INDICATE EASTERLY FLOW
ACROSS SE TX.  FOR THAT CASE WILL GO WITH SCATTERED POPS STARTING
SATURDAY.  UNTIL THEN THE RIDGE SHOULD SUPPRESS RAINFALL TO ISOLATED
AT BEST.

.HGX...HURRICANE WARNING COASTAL COUNTIES PLUS HARRIS AND LIBERTY.
       INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING WHARTON...COLORADO...
       AUSTIN...WALLER...AND FORT BEND COUNTIES.
       FLOOD WATCH ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 10.
       SMALL CRAFT SHOULD STAY IN PORT.
PL-40
45
38/43/30
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 15, 7:29 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-152100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
729 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM HIGH ISLAND TO BAFFIN BAY...
THE WARNING AREA INCLUDES THE COUNTIES OF CHAMBERS...HARRIS...
GALVESTON...BRAZORIA...LIBERTY...MATAGORDA...AND JACKSON COUNTIES.

...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...

...AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR AUSTIN...
COLORADO...WHARTON...AND FORT BEND COUNTIES...

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM FOR BRAZORIA...GALVESTON...
JACKSON...MATAGORDA...CHAMBERS...FORT BEND...HARRIS...LIBERTY...AND
WHARTON COUNTIES...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
HURRICANE CLAUDETTE WILL MAKE LANDFALL NEAR MATAGORDA BAY BETWEEN 9 AM
AND 3 PM TODAY.  ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE COASTAL
AREAS AS THE STORM MAKES LANDFALL.  OTHERWISE...REFER TO THE HURRICANE
LOCAL STATEMENT...SATHLSHOU...WMO HEADER WTUS84 KHGX.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY.  SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT
EXPECTED AT THIS TIME FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 6:41 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXChambers, Galveston49 min
Jul 15, 6:43 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX62 min
Jul 15, 10:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Matagorda, Wharton3 hr
Jul 15, 12:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazoria, Jackson, Matagorda, Wharton3 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.