Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

June 2, 2003Liberty County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Jun 2, 2003, 5:46 PM CDT for Liberty County, Texas. It was in force for 44 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
Jun 2, 2003, 5:46 PM CDT (22:46 UTC)
Expired
Jun 2, 2003, 6:30 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Liberty County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:45 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 2, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 2003-06-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2019 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2003-06-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 60 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
2019 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
692 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KHGX 022246
TORHOU
TXC291-022330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
545 PM CDT MON JUN 2 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 545 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE     
  OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF DEVERS...DRIFTING      
  SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH. A SECOND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5    
  MILES NORTHWEST OF KENEFICK...MOVING LITTLE. LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY  
  WITH BOTH OF THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  DEVERS...DAISETTA

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING A TORNADO AND HAIL UP TO 
GOLF BALL SIZE.

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 3029 9492 2990 9497 2990 9445 3003 9416

$$

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 Jun 2, 3:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 2, 3:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
300 PM CDT MON JUN 2 2003

WILL BE UPDATING ZONES FOR THE NEW SVR TSTM WATCH (#464) WHICH WILL
COVER AREAS ACROSS SE TX SOUTH OF THE CURRENT WATCH.

FINALLY SEEING SOME RAIN AGAIN ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF
SE TX. UNFORTUNATELY...IT COMES WITH A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.
MAIN SHORT TERM CONCERNS IS THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL AND POPS
FOR TONIGHT. BELIEVE THREAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS
AREAWIDE AS UPPER TROUGH AXIS MOVES ACROSS SE TX. AN IMPRESSIVE
CLUSTER OF STORMS IS LOCATED JUST WEST OF THE AUSTIN AREA AND IS
MOVING SE...WHICH IS A LITTLE RIGHT OF THE MID-LEVEL FLOW. THIS IS
INDICATIVE OF THE STORM MOTION WE WILL LIKELY SEE LATER THIS
EVENING...MEANING DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
PORTIONS OF THE AREA COULD REACH THE COAST LATER THIS EVENING.
DUE TO CONFIDENCE ISSUES WILL TAPER POPS FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH
FOR THE 1ST PERIOD.

FOR TOMORROW THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...ISSUES INCLUDE: FRONTAL
BOUNDARY LOCATION...POPS...AND SVR TSTMS ON TUE. HAVE DECIDED TO
INCLUDE LOW SCT POPS FOR DAYTIME HOURS THROUGH THU AND SLIGHT CHC
POPS OVERNIGHT. FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY FLATTEN TONIGHT AROUND
NORTHERN EDGE OF SE TX AND BECOME STATIONARY. THIS IS FOLLOWING THE
ETA SOLN. SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY...SUFFICIENT MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN
PLACE FOR SCT AFT/EVE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A NUMBER OF WEAK
SHORT WAVES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA AND THESE WILL PERIODICALLY
AID WITH LIFT. COLD POOL ALOFT SHOULD REMAIN IN PLACE FOR TOMORROW.
THIS...COUPLED WITH A STATIONARY BOUNDARY NEAR THE NORTHERN EDGE OF
THE CWA WILL LIKELY LEAD TO ANOTHER ACTIVE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
ACROSS SE TX. AT THIS POINT SVR THREAT APPEARS MARGINAL. SO ALTHOUGH
POSSIBLE...WILL NOT INCLUDE IN THE ZONE FORECAST AT THIS POINT.

FLOW BECOMES SW ALOFT AT THE END OF THE WEEK WITH MOISTURE LEVELS
INCREASING TO AROUND 2 INCHES. IF MODELS ARE CORRECT...A BETTER CHC
OF RAIN WILL OCCUR AT THE END OF THE WEEK ACROSS SE TX. WILL KEEP
CHC POPS FOR FRI/SAT PERIOD AS WELL AS SLIGHT CHC FOR
SUN/MON.

33/40

.HGX...SVR TSTM WATCH #462 NORTHERN AREAS THROUGH 6 PM CDT.

PRELIMS...
CLL BB 072/092 071 090 071 632
IAH BB 075/093 074 091 072 532
GLS BB 079/088 079 087 078 432
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 2, 9:30 AM CDT, 8 hours 16 minutes before
GMZ330-335-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-031200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
930 AM CDT MON JUN 2 2003

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THE SLIGHT RISK AREA HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ALL OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL COMBINE WITH DEEP MOISTURE AND
A STRONGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD
BECOME SEVERE. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS.

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

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 2:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXSan Jacinto, Trinity, Walker56 min
Jun 2, 3:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty, Polk30 min
Jun 2, 3:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty56 min
Jun 2, 4:20 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXLiberty40 min
Jun 2, 4:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXLiberty2 hr
Jun 2, 4:59 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXLiberty46 min
Jun 2, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston, Madison53 min
Jun 2, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers45 min
Jun 2, 6:09 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX111 min
Jun 2, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris65 min
Jun 2, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers45 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.