Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 166, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

August 9, 2003Galveston County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 9, 2003, 6:10 PM CDT for Galveston 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
Aug 9, 2003, 6:10 PM CDT (23:10 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 2003, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Galveston County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:11 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 189 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 2003-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -42 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1678 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
56 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 
WUUS54 KHGX 092310
SVRHOU
TXC167-100015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
609 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  GALVESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 601 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SANTA FE...LA MARQUE AND TEXAS CITY...MOVING SOUTH 
AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  LA MARQUE...TEXAS CITY
  HITCHCOCK...BAYOU VISTA
  TIKI ISLAND
  GALVESTON STATE PARK...JAMAICA BEACH...GALVESTON

THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. 

MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR
BUSINESS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

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

LAT...LON 2932 9512 2915 9502 2931 9473 2941 9472
          2950 9491

$$

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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 9, 2:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 9, 2:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
230 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 2003

WHAT IS LEFT OF THE MCS WHICH HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL TEXAS TODAY IS NOW ENTERING NW ZONES OF SE TX. ISOLATED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING ALONG THE SEA BREEZE ACROSS
COASTAL SECTIONS. A LARGE THICK CIRRUS SHIELD HAS HELPED KEEP THE
HIGH TEMPS DOWN A LITTLE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY WHEN COMPARED TO
YESTERDAY. HOWEVER...DW PTS HAVE BEEN HIGHER AND THEREFORE HEAT
INDEX VALUES ARE STILL A LITTLE ABOVE 105 DEGREES. THINK TOMORROW
WILL BE A LOT LIKE TODAY AS FAR AS HIGH LEVELS OF LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE
...SO WILL EXTEND THE HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH SUNDAY.

MAIN FORECAST ISSUE IS THE CHC OF RAIN. THE CLUSTER OF STORMS ACROSS
THE NW PORTIONS OF THE AREA HAVE MOVED OFF OF THE ORIGINAL
DISTURBANCE THAT IGNITED THEM. THIS SIGNIFICANT DISTURBANCE WILL
PUSH INTO SE TX THIS EVENING AND MOVE SOUTH OF THE AREA BY MORNING.
LATEST GFS SPLITS THIS DISTURBANCE AS IT APPROACHES THIS EVENING
WITH THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ENERGY MOVING ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE OF SE
TX AND WESTWARD. WILL FOLLOW THIS IDEA AND HAVE SLIGHTLY HIGHER POPS
ACROSS THE WESTERN ZONES TONIGHT...BUT KEEP SCT POPS AREAWIDE
TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THIS DISTURBANCE. BELIEVE THAT THE AREA WILL
STILL HAVE A SVR TSTM THREAT TONIGHT BECAUSE OF THE MID-LEVEL ENERGY
AND HIGH INSTABILITY.

PATTERN CHANGE STILL EXPECTED EARLY NEXT WEEK WHICH WILL LIKELY
RESULT IN GRADUALLY LOWER HIGH TEMPERATURES AND AT LEAST CHC POPS.
MID/UPPER LEVEL TROF AXIS WILL RETROGRADE AROUND MID LEVEL RIDGE
WHICH BUILDS TO THE NORTH. PW VALUES WILL REMAIN HIGH (AROUND 2
INCHES) SO SCT POPS WILL BE FORECAST THROUGH THE EXTENDED.

33/40

.HGX...HEAT ADVISORY ALL ZONES THROUGH SUNDAY.

PRELIMS...
CLL BB 075/096 074/094 074 542
IAH BB 076/095 075/094 074 442
GLS BB 081/090 080/089 080 432
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 9, 4:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-101200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
415 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THE REMAINDER OF THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING
ACROSS THE AREA. ANY STORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY AND BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. THUNDERSTORMS MAY
RE-DEVELOP NORTH OF THE AREA LATER TONIGHT AND COULD PUSH INTO
SOUTHEAST DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE EXCESSIVE HEAT
ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY. HEAT INDICES ARE EXPECTED TO
BE IN THE 105 TO 110 DEGREE RANGE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS
TOMORROW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 9, 4:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
0442 PM CDT SAT AUG 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0350 PM    6 ENE COLUMBUS            TX   WIND DAMAGE
08/09/03   COLORADO                       TREES DOWN AND WINDOWS
                                          BLOW OUT OF A HOUSE IN
                                          BERNARDO

LW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 7:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris41 min
Aug 8, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris45 min
Aug 9, 11:12 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX108 min
Aug 9, 12:55 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX95 min
Aug 9, 3:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGrimes, Montgomery44 min
Aug 9, 3:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXColorado52 min
Aug 9, 3:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Waller54 min
Aug 9, 3:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston, Trinity49 min
Aug 9, 6:16 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX104 min
Aug 9, 6:45 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr

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.