Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 28, NWS San Angelo, TX

May 3, 2003Haskell County, Texas

NWS San Angelo, TX issued this tornado warning at May 3, 2003, 7:22 PM CDT for Haskell County, Texas. It was in force for 53 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
May 3, 2003, 7:22 PM CDT (00:22 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2003, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS San Angelo, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Haskell County, TX

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
May 3, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 226 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, Fort Worth, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2133 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, Fort Worth, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 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
2133 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-71 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
661 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
177 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
7.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KSJT 040022
TORSJT
TXC207-040115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
721 PM CDT SAT MAY 3 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANGELO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HASKELL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 716 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO AT
  ANY TIME 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HASKELL...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   IRBY AT 745 PM CDT

DOPPLER RADAR SHOWS STRONG ROTATION WITH THIS STORM AND A TORNADO MAY
FORM AT ANY TIME. TAKE COVER NOW LAW ENFOREMENT REPORTED BASEBALL 
SIZE HAIL 5 MILE SOUTH OF HASKELL AT 720 PM CDT.


LAT...LON 3323 9981 3306 9988 3296 9947 3320 9947

$$

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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 3, 2:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 2:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
215 PM CDT SAT MAY 3 2003

PRIMARY FORECASTS CONCERNS ARE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THIS EVENING AND
SUNDAY AFTERNOON OVER THE EAST. 18Z SURFACE MAP SHOWS A DRYLINE
EXTENDING FROM THE NW TIP OF CROCKETT COUNTY...NORTHWARD INTO THE
SOUTH PLAINS...SW OF LUBBOCK. 19Z GOES VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS
DEVELOPING CU NEAR THE EXPECTED DRYLINE POSITION...EAST OF KFST.

15Z RUC PROGS THE DRYLINE TO MAKE LITTLE EASTWARD PROGRESS THIS
AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH SOME DRIER MID LEVEL AIR IS PROGGED TO MIX TO
THE SURFACE OVER THE WESTERN CONCHO VALLEY AND WESTERN BIG COUNTRY.
12Z MESOETA BOUNDARY LAYER CAPE/CINH PROG IS IN LINE WITH THE 06Z
RUN IN DEVELOPING 3000+ J/KG BOUNDARY LAYER CAPE WITH NO CAP BY 21Z
OVER THE HEARTLAND AND EASTERN BIG COUNTRY. UNLIKE FRIDAY...12Z MAF
SOUNDING HAD MOISTURE IN THE LOWER LEVELS...WITH 17C DEWPOINTS UP TO
840MB. AS IT IS PRONE TO DO...THE MESOETA MAY BE MIXING THE DRYLINE
TOO FAR EAST THIS AFTERNOON. FOLLOWING RUC SOLUTION...AN ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORM OR TWO COULD DEVELOP AS FAR WEST AS THE SAN ANGELO AREA
LATER THIS AFTERNOON. 18Z FWD SOUNDING SHOWS WEAK CAPPING...WITH
EASILY REACHED CONVECTIVE TEMP INFERRED FOR OUR EASTERN BIG COUNTRY
COUNTIES.

ENTRANCE REGION OF LOW LEVEL JET WILL SET UP OVER WC TX TONIGHT...
WITH NO LARGE AREAS OF ORGANIZED MOISTURE CONVERGENCE EXPECTED. IN
RESPONSE TO A SHORTWAVE TROF PASSAGE SUNDAY AFTERNOON...THE MESOETA
BRINGS THE DRYLINE THROUGH MOST OF WC TX. AVN MAV GUIDANCE IN
AGREEMENT...WITH MID UPPER 40S DEWPOINTS AT KABI/KSJT AND MID 60S
DEWPOINTS AT KSJT. CURRENT ISC GRIDS INDICATE NO CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HEARTLAND/NW HILL COUNTRY FOR SUNDAY...BUT WE
HAVE RESERVATIONS CONCERNING UNDERESTIMATED MESOETA BOUNDARY LATER
CAPE IN THE PRESENCE OF STRONG LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE OVER EASTERN
PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. WILL LIKELY ADJUST GRIDS AND
MAINTAIN SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST OVER THE
HEARTLAND/NW HILL COUNTRY.

SHORTWAVE RIDGING ALOFT SHOULD KEEP A LID ON THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT MONDAY...BUT APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROF SHOULD COOL MID
LEVEL TEMPS SUFFICIENTLY TO HELP STORMS FIRE OVER THE EAST ON
TUESDAY. PERSISTENCE APPEARS TO BE BEST FORECAST THROUGH LATE NEXT
WEEK... UNDER WEAK CONVECTIVE CAP.

ABI 071/093/063/088/061 22101
SJT 072/095/065/091/063 11101
JCT 070/090/064/092/062 22111

.SJT...NONE.

14
Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 2:06 PM CDT, 5 hours 16 minutes before
TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139-140-
154-155-168>170-041345-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
206 PM CDT SAT MAY 3 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A LINE FROM
SAN ANGELO TO SAN SABA. THIS AFTERNOON...A WARM FRONT WAS LOCATED
OVER HASKELL AND THROCKMORTON COUNTIES...WHILE THE DRYLINE WAS
CONTINUING TO GET BETTER ORGANIZED FROM NEAR LUBBOCK SOUTH TO ODESSA
TO NEAR FORT STOCKTON. MEANWHILE...THE LOW CLOUDS THAT WERE OVER THE
AREA THIS MORNING HAVE PRETTY MUCH ERODED ALLOWING SIGNIFICANT
HEATING TO TAKE OCCUR...AND WITH SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IN PLACE...THE
ATMOSPHERE IS BECOMING MORE UNSTABLE. WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT HAVE
RESULTED IN A CAP THAT WILL ACT TO PREVENT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.
HOWEVER AS THE DRYLINE PUSHES EAST...AND AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
APPROACHES THE AREA FROM NEW MEXICO...THE CAP MAY WEAKEN ENOUGH TO
ALLOW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. THE BEST CHANCES OF THIS
OCCURRING IS OVER THE BIG COUNTRY. ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
ISOLATED...THE STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BECOME RAPIDLY SEVERE AND
PRODUCE VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THERE WILL ALSO BE
SUFFICIENT WIND SHEAR FOR TORNADOES ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE
20. IF THE THUNDERSTORMS CAN GET GOING...THEY SHOULD BEGIN TO FORM
BETWEEN 4 AND 7 PM CDT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS A FRONT INTERACTS WITH A MOIST AND
UNSTABLE AIRMASS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

IF THUNDERSTORMS CAN BREAK THE CAP...SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE
NEEDED...ESPECIALLY OVER THE BIG COUNTRY.

27/BRAZZELL

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Angelo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 7:56 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTShackelford, Throckmorton64 min
May 3, 8:14 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTHaskell31 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.