Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 31, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

September 12, 2003Harris County, Montgomery County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 12, 2003, 1:06 AM CDT for Harris County, Montgomery County, Texas. It was in force for 39 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
Sep 12, 2003, 1:06 AM CDT (06:06 UTC)
Expired
Sep 12, 2003, 1:45 AM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Harris County, TX, Montgomery County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:08 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 214 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 2003-09-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2023 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 00:00Z on 2003-09-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 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
2023 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
726 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 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 
WFUS54 KHGX 120606
TORHOU
TXC201-339-120645-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
106 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  HARRIS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 145 AM CDT

* AT 103 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
  PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER HOOKS AIRPORT...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  HOOKS AIRPORT
  THE WOODLANDS
  OAK RIDGE NORTH...SHENANDOAH
  SPRING
  WOODLOCH
  PORTER HEIGHTS

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 3013 9565 2996 9558 3008 9508 3031 9517

$$

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 Sep 11, 8:51 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 11, 8:51 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
851 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

THUNDERSTORMS PUSHING SOUTH AND NEARING THE NORTHWESTERN-MOST BORDER
OF THE CWA. OUTFLOW CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTH AND AREA VWP INDICATE
GOOD FLOW IN LL NEARLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE BOUNDARY...FLOW
8-10KFT NEARLY PARALLEL. PW/IPWV RUNNING 1.7 TO 2.0 NEAR THE
BOUNDARY THOUGH OVER SETX THE AIRMASS GOT WORKED OVER PRETTY GOOD WITH
DEEP CONVECTION DURING THE AFTERNOON. LI OF -6 TO -8 STILL PRESENT
OVER THE SOUTHWEST ZONES AND HELICITY/SHEAR IN SW ZONES MAY POSE
ENOUGH OF PROBLEM THAT I WILL ADD MENTION OF SEVERE TO SW ZONES.
EXPECTING THAT THE CONVECTION SHOULD MOVE SOUTH SO WILL UPDATE ZONES
TO INCREASE POPS AND QPF AND NUDGE DOWN TEMPERATURES 2 TO 5 DEGREES.
UPDATE SHOULD BE OUT AROUND 915 PM.

45/37/31

.HGX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH.

PRELIMS...
CLL TE 068/085 069/088 065 +85
IAH TE 072/086 071/087 066 886
GLS TE 077/085 077/085 074 778

PREV DISC...
A DECENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH TO AFFECT SE TX OVER THE NEXT FEW PERIODS.
THE MAIN CHALLENGE WILL BE RAINFALL COVERAGE AND AMOUNTS...THOUGH
TEMPERATURES AND CLOUD COVER WILL BAT A CLOSE SECOND AND THIRD.  IN
CONSIDERING THE MODELS...THE GFS LOOKED MORE REALISTIC THAN THE ETA
IN BRINGING A PREFRONTAL TROUGH THROUGH SE TX FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...THEN THE ETA LOOKS MORE REALISTIC IN BRINGING THE ACTUAL
FRONT THROUGH LATE ON SATURDAY.  THE MESO-ETA LOOKED FAIRLY GOOD IN
ITS DEPICTION OF THE 500 MB HEIGHTS AND VORTICITY.  THUS...WILL TAKE
A COMPROMISE OF BOTH.

THE RAINFALL POTENTIAL LOOKS GOOD THROUGH TOMORROW EVENING.  ACCORDING
TO THE GFS...PW/S WILL GET OVER 2.1 INCHES DURING THIS PERIOD...NEAR 2
STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE THE HISTORICAL NORM FOR THE LCH SOUNDING
SITE AND CLOSE TO IT FOR THE CRP SITE.  IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS...THE
LOCAL FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE WORKSHEET SUGGESTS RAINFALL POTENTIAL OF 1
TO 3 INCHES AND ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE.  SOME OF
THE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON WERE PRODUCING ONE HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR.  WILL GO WITH A FLOOD WATCH AREA-WIDE TONIGHT
AND FRIDAY...THEN OVER THE COASTAL COUNTIES FRIDAY EVENING.  ACCORDING
TO THE GFS...THE PREFRONTAL TROUGH SHOULD CLEAR THE COAST BETWEEN 00Z
AND 03Z TOMORROW EVENING.  EXPECT THE HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT TO END AT
THAT TIME.  RAINFALL COVERAGE LOOKS TO BE GOOD...AND WILL KEEP THE
POPS ABOUT THE SAME AS THE CURRENT NUMBERS FOR TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY
NIGHT EXCEPT TO TWEAK THE FRIDAY NIGHT POPS DOWN A BIT IN THE NORTH
FRIDAY NIGHT.  THE MAIN SHORTWAVE TROUGH PUSHES INTO SE TX FRIDAY
NIGHT AND SATURDAY BUT WITH VERY LITTLE VORTICITY ADVECTION.

TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT OF A CHALLENGE.  A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE
FWC AND MAV LOOK GOOD TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.  FRIDAY NIGHT THE SITUATION
GETS A BIT MORE COMPLEX.  THE MAV IS AN OUTLIER BETWEEN THE MET AND
FWC FOR THE THIRD PERIOD.  THE MID 60S LOOK BETTER FOR SATURDAY
NIGHT AFTER THE DRIER AIR FILTERS SOUTHWARD.  THE MAV IS ALSO A BIT
FAST WITH CLEARING OUT THE CLOUD COVER...AND WILL NOT DEVIATE FROM
THE CURRENT FORECAST IN THAT REGARD.
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 11, 10:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-
235>238-121630-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1016 PM CDT THU SEP 11 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ISOLATED
SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS...

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.
HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT. A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY.

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR OVER AREAS SOUTHWEST OF A
BELLVILLE TO WHARTON TO SARGENT LINE. SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR WILL
MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST AND MODERATE WIND SHEAR IN THE LOWER
ATMOSPHERE MAY SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF STRONG DAMAGING
WINDS...HAIL OR POSSIBLY ISOLATED TORNADOES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKLEY BE GOING ON ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TEXAS IN THE MORNING AND MORE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE COAST AND
SPREAD INLAND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL
ACCOMPANY SOME THE THE STORMS. THE RAIN WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST
ONCE THE FRONT CROSSES THE AREA EARLY ON SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEED TONIGHT OR FRIDAY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 12, 2:31 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX119 min
Sep 12, 3:14 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Sep 12, 4:22 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX113 min
Sep 12, 5:17 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX118 min
Sep 12, 8:36 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX114 min
Sep 12, 10:37 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX83 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.