Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 191, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

August 21, 20034 counties in Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 2003, 10:28 PM CDT for 4 counties in Texas. It was in force for 47 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2003, 10:28 PM CDT (03:28 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2003, 11:15 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Austin County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Waller County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:28 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 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 250 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 2003-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2392 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 2003-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 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
2392 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1133 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 21, 9:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 9:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
905 PM  CDT THU AUG 21 2003

WESTSOUTHWEST MOVING MCS THAT PRODUCED SPOTTY PULSE SEVERE IN OUR
CWA EARLY THIS EVENING STILL ACTIVE ALL ALONG LEADING EDGE.  PORTS
DATA AND RADAR VELOCITY SHOWED GUSTS TO 40 KNOTS OVER GALVESTON BAY
AS THE LINE CROSSED...HENCE CONTINUED NEED FOR SPECIAL MARINE
WARNINGS BAYS AND COASTAL WATERS.  LINE OF ACTIVITY NOT SHOWING MUCH
SIGN OF WEAKENING SINCE SUNSET AND FEEL LIFTING ALONG WIND SHIFT
INTO WARM AND STILL UNSTABLE AIR OVER WESTERN HALF WILL KEEP AT
LEAST SCATTERED ACTIVITY FOR ANOTHER SEVERAL HOURS.  WENT SLIGHT
HIGHER COASTAL COUNTIES DUE TO STRENGTH OF OUTFLOW CURRENTLY HEADING
THAT WAY.  CELLS MOVING FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP LOCAL FLOODING THREAT TO
A MINIMUM.  EXCEPTION MAY BE COUNTIES SURROUNDING LAKE LIVINGSTON
AND NORTH WHERE SECOND ROUND CURRENTLY ONGOING. ALSO LOWERED INLAND
MINS A CAT DUE TO RAIN COOLED AIR.  REST OF FORECAST UNCHANGED THIS
UPDATE.

.HGX...NONE.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 21, 4:25 PM CDT, 6 hours 3 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-221200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
425 PM CDT THU AUG 21 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE FROM THE
TEXAS-LOUISIANA BORDER AREA TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST INTO SOUTHEAST
TEXAS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS
WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS THE EASTERN
PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM
CROCKETT TO HUNTSVILLE TO CONROE TO HOUSTON TO GALVESTON. LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES MAY OCCUR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
ON FRIDAY...BETTER CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AS AN
UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA APPROACHES FROM THE EAST. THE MOVEMENT
OF THE STORMS WILL BE SLOW...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2
INCHES MAY OCCUR. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

FOR SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT
THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 21, 5:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 28 minutes before
GMZ335-TXZ163-164-177>179-199-200-213-214-238-220000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
500 PM CDT THU AUG 21 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 879 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR HOUSTON...
POLK...AND TRINITY COUNTIES...

...EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS SOUTH OF THE WATCH COULD
EXPERIENCE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR HOUSTON...POLK...AND TRINITY COUNTIES UNTIL 8
PM THIS EVENING. A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES
TO MOVE SOUTHWEST AT 40 MPH ACROSS SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND EXTREME
SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AREAS SOUTH OF THE WATCH ALONG AND EAST OF I-45
ARE ALSO IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT AREA THIS EVENING.
THE MAIN THREATS FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE DAMAGING WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE PROVIDER FOR LATER
STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto42 min
Aug 21, 8:15 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX90 min
Aug 21, 9:15 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Aug 21, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria42 min
Aug 21, 9:59 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX61 min
Aug 21, 10:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria48 min
Aug 21, 10:25 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Aug 21, 10:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson58 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.