Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS San Angelo, TX

February 21, 2003Crockett County, Irion County, Texas

NWS San Angelo, TX issued this flash flood warning at Feb 21, 2003, 12:58 AM CST for Crockett County, Irion County, Texas. It was in force for 6 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 21, 2003, 12:58 AM CST (06:58 UTC)
Expired
Feb 21, 2003, 7:00 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS San Angelo, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Crockett County, TX, Irion County, TX

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood 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

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 159 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-02-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-02-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 109 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
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
540 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
55 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 
WGUS54 KSJT 210702
FFWSJT
TXC105-235-211300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
1258 AM CST FRI FEB 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANGELO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  IRION COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS
  CROCKETT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS

* UNTIL 700 AM CST

* AT 1258 AM CST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY   
RAIN ACROSS MOST OF CROCKETT AND IRION COUNTIES...WITH AN ADDITIONAL 
LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST.  

THE WARNED AREA HAS ALREADY SEEN ONE TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN AND IT 
IS EXPECTED ANOTHER INCH OR TWO WILL FALL OVER THE WARNED AREA 
BEFORE SUNRISE.  SINCE THE GROUND IS SATURATED...RUNOFF WILL PRODUCE 
FLASH FLOODING.

MOTORIST TRAVELING ALONG INTERSTATE 10 AS WELL AS PEOPLE NEAR FLOOD 
PRONE AREAS ACROSS CROCKETT AND IRION COUNTIES SHOULD USE EXTREME 
CAUTION FOR RAPIDLY RISING CREEKS...STREAMS AND ARROYOS.  RESIDENTS 
OF URBAN AREAS SHOULD ALSO USE EXTRA CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING THIS 
MORNING INCLUDING RESIDENTS OF OZONA...BARNHART AND MERTZON. 

DO NOT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD. THE WATER DEPTH
MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
DRIVE AROUND BARRICADES. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...
ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT
STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

LAT...LON 3032 10166 3150 10123 3140 10071 3109 10082
          3108 10096 3069 10096 3035 10111

$$

25

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Feb 20, 9:30 PM CST, 3 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 9:30 PM CST, 3 hours 28 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
930 PM CST THU FEB 20 2003

PER DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES...NEARLY ONE INCH OF WIDESPREAD RAINFALL
NOTED ACROSS THE EDWARDS PLATEAU...CONCHO VALLEY AND HEARTLAND.
ISOLATED 4-5 INCH AMOUNTS DISCERNABLE OVER NORTHWEST CROCKETT WITH
2-3 INCHES ACROSS NORTHERN COLEMAN COUNTY. SURPRISINGLY...JUNCTION
HAS ONLY RECEIVED 0.52 INCHES THUS FAR.

BOTTOMLINE...GOING TO EXPAND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE
CROCKETT COUNTY...THE CONCHO VALLEY AND REST OF THE HEARTLAND.
WATCH ALSO TO BE IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY.

FFA TO FLY SOON. ZONE UPDATE TO FOLLOW.

17

---------------------------------------------------------------------
333 PM CST THU FEB 20 2003

RAINFALL TODAY HAS LINED UP ACROSS SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN PART OF
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS NEAR THE 850 MB FRONT. THE SURFACE FRONT IS
STATIONARY NEAR A LAREDO TO HOUSTON LINE. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW IS
NEAR THE ARIZONA...MEXICO BORDER.

SHORT TERM...A SHORT WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE BIG BEND AREA THIS
AFTERNOON IS EXPECTED TO ENHANCE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE 850 MB
FRONT THIS EVENING. WE WILL ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT
ALONG AND SOUTH OF A SONORA... MENARD...BRADY...SAN SABA LINE.  WE
WILL ALSO MENTION THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE CONCHO
VALLEY.

LONGER TERM...THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO TO
OUR SOUTH TOMORROW. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BEGIN TAPERING
OFF WEST TO EAST ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
SATURDAY SHOULD BE DRY AND WARMER BEFORE ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THE AREA SUNDAY. MONDAY WILL BE THE COLDEST DAY...WITH A
SLOW WARMUP THROUGH THE REST OF NEXT WEEK. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH APPROACHES TEXAS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.

ABI 44/48/38/61/41  8710
SJT 46/50/40/63/42  9810
JCT 45/51/40/64/41  9810

09
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 20, 10:19 PM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139-140-
154-155-168>170-220400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
1019 PM CST THU FEB 20 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS AFTER MIDNIGHT. WITH SOILS ALREADY SATURATED...FLASH
FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM STERLING CITY TO
BROWNWOOD. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED...DUE TO WEAK
INSTABILITY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL CONTINUES FRIDAY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM STERLING CITY TO BROWNWOOD. THIS STORM SYSTEM SHOULD FINALLY
PULL EAST OF THE AREA BY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
REPORTS OF FLASH FLOODING WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. RAINFALL TOTALS
WOULD ALSO BE MOST WELCOME.

17

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 2003Every flash flood 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.