Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 69, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

April 29, 2003Galveston County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 29, 2003, 2:58 AM CDT for Galveston County, 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 29, 2003, 2:58 AM CDT (07:58 UTC)
Expired
Apr 29, 2003, 3:45 AM CDT
In force
47 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), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:02 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 00:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 190 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 00:00Z on 2003-04-29Temperature 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 00:00Z on 2003-04-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1747 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
34 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.

596 
WUUS54 KHGX 290758
SVRHOU
TXC167-290845-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
255 AM CDT TUE APR 29 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 345 AM CDT

* AT 252 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3   
MILES WEST OF JAMAICA BEACH...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH. THIS 
STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  JAMAICA BEACH
  GALVESTON STATE PARK
  GALVESTON
  TIKI ISLAND...BAYOU VISTA

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 2927 9509 2910 9501 2933 9463 2944 9476

$$

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 28, 8:41 PM CDT, 6 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 8:41 PM CDT, 6 hours 17 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
841 PM CDT MON APR 28 2003

EVENING SOUNDINGS INDICATE A MUCH MORE STABLE AND DRIER AIRMASS IN
THE AREA AROUND LAKE CHARLES VERSUS THE CORPUS CHRISTI VICINITY.
RADAR PICTURES STILL SHOW SOME ELEVATED CONVECTION MOVING EASTWARD
ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. EXPECT THIS ACTIVITY
TO GRADUALLY DISSIPATE AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES. VERY ACTIVE
SUBTROPICAL JET STREAMING FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC TO ACROSS SOUTH
TEXAS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHT. WEAK HARD-TO-FIND SHORTWAVES
RACING ALONG IN THIS FLOW MAY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT...SO
FEEL IT IS NOT A BAD IDEA TO KEEP 20% POPS IN THE FIRST PERIOD OF
THE ZONES. ZONES LOOK GOOD SO NO UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED.

ON A CLIMATE NOTE...WITH ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT IN APRIL 2003...CLLS
RAINFALL TOTAL STANDS AT 0.17 INCHES. IF THIS HOLDS...APRIL 2003
WILL BE THE SECOND DRIEST APRIL FOR CLL ON RECORD. THE DRIEST APRIL
EVER IS 0.08 INCHES IN 1984. CLL WILL NEED TO REACH 0.91 INCHES BY
THE END OF WEDNESDAY IN ORDER TO AVOID APRIL 2003 BEING ONE OF
THE TOP 10 DRIEST EVER. BOTH IAH AND GLS HAVE HAD ENOUGH RAIN THIS
MONTH TO AVOID MAKING APRIL 2003 ONE OF THEIR TOP 10 DRIEST ON
RECORD.

.HGX...NONE.

UPDATED PRELIMS (ADJUSTED FIRST PERIOD POPS TO 20%)...
CLL BE 064/084 066/084 068 222
IAH BE 065/084 066/084 068 222
GLS BE 070/079 071/079 072 222

---------------------------------------------------------------------
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION (215 PM CDT)...
ELEVATED ISOLATED SHWRS/TSTMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN
AND NORTHERN ZONES DUE TO MID/UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE. EXPECT THIS
DEVELOPMENT TO CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY EVE HOURS.

FOR UPCOMING PACKAGE...WILL CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE THE SAME THEME. A
SERIES OF SHORTWAVES TO PRODUCE A SLIGHT CHC OR CHC OF PRECIP THROUGH
THE WEEK AS THE SUBTROPICAL JET REMAINS OVERHEAD AND BRINGS
DISTURBANCES ACROSS. MOISTURE LEVELS DID NOT INCREASE QUITE AS FAST
AS EARLIER MODEL RUNS WERE INDICATING. STILL EXPECT MOISTURE LEVELS
TO INCREASE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. HOWEVER...THE SIGNIFICANT
LOW-LEVEL CAP WHICH IS IN PLACE COULD PRESENT A PROBLEM FOR SFC
BASED CONVECTION. SHRT WV WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST TOMORROW AFT
...BUT WITHOUT A FOCUS WILL HAVE ONLY 20 PERCENT POPS FOR ISOLATED
ACTIVITY. GFS INDICATING THAT THE WED-FRI PERIOD WILL BE MORE ACTIVE
AS FURTHER SHRT WVS MOVE ACROSS AND PW VALUES CONT TO INCREASE.
THEREFORE...CHC POPS LOOK GOOD FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. I BELIEVE THAT
THE GFS IS LIKELY TOO AGGRESSIVE SAGGING A FRONTAL BOUNDARY
SOUTHWARD AT THE END OF THE WEEK. IF IT IS CORRECT...IT WILL BE
ACTIVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SE TX THU AND FRI.
HOWEVER...ACTIVITY COULD END UP BEING JUST NORTH OF THE REGION.

FOR THE EXTENDED...THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ECMWF AND
GFS CONCERNING THE STRENGTH OF THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE THIS WEEKEND AND
THE TIMING OF WEST COAST ENERGY. HAVE TAKEN THE MIDDLE ROAD AND WILL
CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE SLIGHT CHC THIS WEEKEND AND CHC ON MONDAY.

MARINE AREA IS QUIET...WITH PERSISTENT SE FLOW AT AROUND 10-15
KNOTS.  33/40
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 28, 7:10 AM CDT, 19 hours 48 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-291200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
710 AM CDT MON APR 28 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

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

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 29, 2:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria35 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.