Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 27, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

August 8, 2003Colorado County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Aug 8, 2003, 5:41 PM CDT for Colorado County, Texas. It was in force for 34 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 8, 2003, 5:41 PM CDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 2003, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Colorado County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:42 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 tornado 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 222 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 812 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -59 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
812 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-261 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1334 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KHGX 082241
TORHOU
TXC089-082315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
540 PM CDT FRI AUG 8 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  COLORADO COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 539 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WEIMAR...MOVING SOUTHWEST 
AT 35 TO 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  WEIMAR AND SHERIDAN

MOVE TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON YOUR CAR
OR MOBILE HOME FOR A STRONG SHELTER NOW

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 2967 9683 2952 9668 2966 9656 2975 9672

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Aug 8, 3:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 8, 3:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
305 PM CDT FRI AUG 8 2003

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS STILL FORECAST TO SHIFT WEST OVER THE WEEKEND
ALLOWING LOWER HEIGHTS TO DEVELOP OVER SE TX. THIS WILL EVENTUALLY
LEAD TO COOLER TEMPERATURES. THINK THE MODELS ARE BIT TOO AGGRESSIVE
WITH THE RIDGE SHIFTING WEST AND WILL AGAIN FORECAST TEMPERATURES OF
100 DEGREES OVER MOST OF THE AREA FOR SATURDAY. THE GFS IS VERY
AGGRESSIVE WITH A STRONG S/WV TONIGHT AND A LARGE SWATH OF PRECIP
OVER THE WESTERN ZONES. WILL DISREGARD THIS SOLUTION AS IT APPEARS
TO BE CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK. WILL LEAN TOWARD THE ETA AND KEEP
ISOLATED POPS FOR THIS EVENING. HAVE TRENDED COOLER ON SUNDAY FOR A
COUPLE OF REASONS...LOWER HEIGHTS AND CLOUD COVER. BOTH THE ETA AND
GFS INDICATE A STRONG S/WV WILL ROTATE AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE
UPPER RIDGE AND PRODUCE A NOCTURNAL MCS WHICH WILL SLIDE SOUTH
ACROSS THE REGION LATE SAT NITE AND SUNDAY. PRECIP AND CLOUD COVER
SHOULD KEEP TEMPS COOLER THAN PAST SEVERAL DAYS. UPPER TROUGH IS
PROGGED TO DEVELOP OVER EAST TEXAS FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. RAIN
CHANCES SHOULD IMPROVE AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES. CLOUD COVER SHOULD
HELP KEEP TEMPS NEAR SEASONAL LEVELS. WILL MAINTAIN THE HEAT
ADVISORY FOR ONE MORE DAY. INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND PRECIP SHOULD
PRECLUDE THE NECESSITY FOR A HEAT ADVISORY ON SUNDAY.

.HGX...HEAT ADVISORY ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

43/33

PRELIMS...
CLL BB 077/101 076/095 073 223
IAH BB 078/100 076/095 074 122
GLS BB 081/092 080/089 079 122
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 8, 7:00 AM CDT, 10 hours 41 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-091200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
700 AM CDT FRI AUG 8 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
AN EXCESSIVE HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.
NEAR RECORD HEAT ALONG WITH HIGH HUMIDITIES WILL YIELD HEAT INDEX
VALUES BETWEEN 105 AND 112 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE SEABREEZE TOWARD THE
LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS IF THEY CAN OVERCOME A STRONG CAP
OF WARM AIR ALOFT. ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP SHOULD INTENSIFY
QUICKLY AND BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF
40 MPH. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE EXCESSIVE
HEAT ADVISORY MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED INTO SATURDAY...BUT IS LOOKING
LIKE IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE DISCONTINUED ON SUNDAY DUE TO LOWER
TEMPERATURES AND INCREASED CLOUD COVER. A THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX MAY
MOVE INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT
AND SUNDAY. WE WILL BE MONITORING THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS AS FUTURE COMPUTER MODEL RUNS BECOME AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 8, 5:40 PM CDT, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
0540 PM CDT FRI AUG 08 2003

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

0345 PM    SNOOK                     TX   WIND DAMAGE
08/08/03   BURLESON                       PORCH DESTROYED ON HIGHWAY
                                          60

0435 PM    BRENHAM                   TX   WIND DAMAGE
08/08/03   WASHINGTON                     TREE DOWN ON FM 389

0455 PM    6 NE INDUSTRY             TX   0.75 IN HAIL
08/08/03   AUSTIN

0525 PM    COLUMBUS                  TX   WIND DAMAGE
08/08/03   COLORADO                       POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN

LW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 3:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXFort Bend, Harris44 min
Aug 8, 4:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBurleson27 min
Aug 8, 4:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin, Washington48 min
Aug 8, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXColorado47 min
Aug 8, 5:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris29 min
Aug 8, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris45 min
Aug 8, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris30 min
Aug 8, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria38 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.