Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 55, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

April 7, 2003Chambers County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 7, 2003, 4:43 PM CDT for Chambers County, Texas. It was in force for 32 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
Apr 7, 2003, 4:43 PM CDT (21:43 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 2003, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Chambers County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:43 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
Apr 7, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 136 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 2003-04-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1791 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 2003-04-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -64 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
1791 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-58 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
518 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.6
Supercell composite
-2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

270 
WUUS54 KHGX 072143
SVRHOU
TXC071-072215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
442 PM CDT MON APR 7 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 438 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER 
  TRINITY BAY ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ANAHUAC...MOVING EAST AT 35 
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  OAK ISLAND
  ANAHUAC...WALLISVILLE
  HANKAMER
  WINNIE...STOWELL
  INTERSTATE 10 BETWEEN MONT BELVIEU...HANKAMER...AND WINNIE

THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. 

MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR 
BUSINESS. THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...RESULTING IN 
EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE OR SERIOUS INJURY. AVOID WINDOWS AND TAKE 
COVER NOW

DRIVERS MAY ENCOUNTER DAMAGING HAIL...STRONG WINDS AND BLINDING RAIN.
PULL OVER TO A STRONG SHELTER NOW. BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES ARE NOT
SAFE

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 2990 9438 2963 9437 2959 9474 2979 9485
          2989 9460

$$

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 Apr 7, 4:40 PM CDT, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 4:40 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
440 PM CDT MON APR 7 2003

WILL UPDATE ZONES AGAIN. REMOVE SEVERE WATCH #113 THAT WAS
PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT TILL 6 PM.  47

.HGX...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #114 TIL 9 PM FOR BRAZORIA...
FORT BEND...HARRIS...MONTGOMERY...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...AND GALVESTON
COUNTIES.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH TIL 6 AM FOR LIBERTY...HARRIS...CHAMBERS...
GALVESTON...BRAZORIA...FORT BEND...MATAGORDA...JACKSON...
WHARTON...COLORADO...AUSTIN...AND WALLER COUNTIES.

PRELIM NUMBERS...
CLL NV 053/064 036/066 037 820
IAH NV 055/064 038/067 037 930
GLS NV 059/066 045/064 049 930
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 7, 9:35 AM CDT, 7 hours 8 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-081200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
935 AM CDT MON APR 7 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL COMBINE WITH VERY MOIST AIR TO HELP
DEVELOP SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST BETWEEN 3 AND 6
AM. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON...AND STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT. IT APPEARS THE
GREATEST THREAT WILL BE FROM HAIL AND STRONG WINDS IN CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA. ISOLATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND 1 INCH
MAY ACCOMPANY THE STORMS AS WELL.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. WIND
ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED. NORTH WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL
STRENGTHEN QUICKLY TUESDAY MORNING. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 MPH WITH
HIGHER GUSTS ARE LIKELY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 7, 1:17 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
TXZ178-179-197>199-210>213-226-227-235>237-072300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
117 PM CDT MON APR 7 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM FOR MUCH
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

AN AXIS OF INSTABILITY WHICH LIES ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND THEN WESTWARD TOWARD DEL RIO WILL BE THE
FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LARGE HAIL.

THE COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ARE:
AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GRIMES...HARRIS...
JACKSON...MATAGORDA...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO...WALLER...
WASHINGTON AND WHARTON.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE COUNTIES SHOULD KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.
Special weather statement, Apr 7, 1:26 PM CDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before
TXZ178-179-197>199-210>213-226-227-235>237-072300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
126 PM CDT MON APR 7 2003

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM FOR MUCH
OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

AN AXIS OF INSTABILITY WHICH LIES ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND THEN WESTWARD TOWARD DEL RIO WILL BE THE
FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LARGE HAIL.

THE COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ARE:
AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GRIMES...HARRIS...
JACKSON...MATAGORDA...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO...WALLER...
WASHINGTON AND WHARTON.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THESE COUNTIES SHOULD KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 7, 9:24 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX66 min
Apr 7, 9:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Galveston57 min
Apr 7, 9:49 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX56 min
Apr 7, 10:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXGalveston, Harris41 min
Apr 7, 10:55 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX65 min
Apr 7, 10:58 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX62 min
Apr 7, 11:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers43 min
Apr 7, 11:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend, Harris36 min
Apr 7, 12:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Harris43 min
Apr 7, 1:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Liberty44 min
Apr 7, 1:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin, Fort Bend, Wharton44 min
Apr 7, 2:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend, Harris59 min
Apr 7, 3:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend, Harris56 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.