Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

November 17, 2003Matagorda County, Wharton County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Nov 17, 2003, 12:55 PM CST for Matagorda County, Wharton County, Texas. It was in force for 50 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
Nov 17, 2003, 12:55 PM CST (18:55 UTC)
Expired
Nov 17, 2003, 1:45 PM CST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Matagorda County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:55 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Nov 17, 8:20 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr
Nov 17, 12:45 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 201 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 2003-11-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1818 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-11-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 150 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
1818 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
573 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
150 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
8.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KHGX 171855
TORHOU
TXC321-481-171945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1253 PM CST MON NOV 17 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WHARTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  MATAGORDA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 145 PM CST

* AT 1250 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES NORTH OF
  BAY CITY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  RURAL NORTHERN MATAGORDA COUNTY...BOLING

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN THE INTERIOR HALLWAY OR
A ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF A STURDY BUILDING. USE
BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CST MONDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

LAT...LON 2908 9613 2895 9598 2912 9585 2925 9591

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 16, 7:21 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXHarris114 min
Nov 17, 8:23 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXWharton52 min
Nov 17, 9:06 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda, Wharton39 min
Nov 17, 9:16 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXWharton29 min
Nov 17, 9:50 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXWharton25 min
Nov 17, 10:09 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXFort Bend51 min
Nov 17, 10:17 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXWharton28 min
Nov 17, 10:59 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXFort Bend46 min
Nov 17, 11:08 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXFort Bend3 hr
Nov 17, 11:11 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXHarris34 min
Nov 17, 11:54 AM CSTTornado WarningHGXFort Bend, Harris51 min
Nov 17, 12:02 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXWharton3 hr
Nov 17, 12:42 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXHarris48 min
Nov 17, 1:02 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXHarris3 hr
Nov 17, 1:20 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXFort Bend40 min
Nov 17, 1:31 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda44 min
Nov 17, 1:45 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXMontgomery, San Jacinto3 hr
Nov 17, 1:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris36 min
Nov 17, 2:01 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXFort Bend29 min
Nov 17, 2:03 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXFort Bend117 min
Nov 17, 2:03 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXHarris, Montgomery42 min
Nov 17, 2:12 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria, Matagorda48 min
Nov 17, 2:35 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX55 min
Nov 17, 2:43 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXHarris47 min
Nov 17, 2:47 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXLiberty, Montgomery43 min
Nov 17, 2:58 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria47 min
Nov 17, 3:30 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXHarris45 min
Nov 17, 3:44 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHGXHarris3 hr
Nov 17, 4:05 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX115 min
Nov 17, 4:29 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXGalveston31 min
Nov 17, 4:46 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers29 min
Nov 17, 5:09 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXLiberty36 min
Nov 17, 5:16 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers29 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.