Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2003

Tornado Watch 151

April 23, 200317 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 23, 2003, 7:45 PM CDT for 17 counties in Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 23, 2003, 7:45 PM CDT (00:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 24, 2003, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Bandera County, TX, Bexar County, TX, Blanco County, TX, Burnet County, TX, Caldwell County, TX, Comal County, TX, Gillespie County, TX, Guadalupe County, TX, Hays County, TX, Kendall County, TX, Kerr County, TX, Llano County, TX, Medina County, TX, Travis County, TX, Uvalde County, TX, Williamson County, TX, Wilson County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:45 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.

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Del Rio, TX (KDRT), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 210 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-04-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1984 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, Del Rio, TX at 00:00Z on 2003-04-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 252 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1984 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-128 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
937 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
78 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
252 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
369 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
11.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 240048
SEL1  
<B><FONT COLOR=red>WORDS IN RED WERE FOUND TO HAVE SPELLING PROBLEMS</FONT></B>

SPC WW 240045
TXZ000-240500-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 151 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
745 PM CDT WED APR 23 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT FROM 745 PM UNTIL 
MIDNIGHT CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN TEXAS TO 25
MILES SOUTHEAST OF HONDO TEXAS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.


OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 148...WW 149...WW 150...


DISCUSSION...SEVERE STORM MOVING EWD INTO KERR COUNTY IS EXPECTED TO
MAINTAIN EWD MOTION AROUND 30 KT.  STORM IS MOVING INTO INCREASINGLY
MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS IN THE 65-70
RANGE...CONTRIBUTING TO MLCAPE OF 1500-2000 J/KG.  STRONG WESTERLY
UPPER LEVEL JET NOTED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY WILL MAINTAIN <B><FONT COLOR=red>*SUFFICNET*</FONT></B>
DEEP LAYER SHEAR FOR SEVERE THREAT WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS. VEERING LOW LEVEL PROFILES SUGGEST ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL FOR
ISOLATED TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORDADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.


...WEISS

310,0970 290,0975 290,0995 310,0990

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 23, 7:00 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrockett, Edwards, Kimble, Kinney, Mason, Menard and 5 more90 min
Apr 23, 7:03 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBosque, Collin, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas and 25 more117 min
Apr 23, 8:43 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Brown, Callahan, Clay, Coleman and 15 more77 min
Apr 23, 9:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCollin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis and 20 more5 hr
Apr 23, 11:43 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Delta and 23 more2 hr
Apr 24, 2:41 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bell, Cass, Cherokee, Falls, Freestone and 12 more2 hr
Apr 24, 6:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAngelina, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Sabine, San Augustine and 2 more5 hr
Apr 24, 6:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAngelina, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Sabine, San Augustine and 2 more4 hr
Apr 24, 7:14 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAustin, Bastrop, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell and 22 more2 hr
Apr 24, 7:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers and 17 more6 hr
Apr 24, 9:11 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto2 hr
Apr 24, 11:40 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCSabine, San Augustine, Shelby65 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2003Every tornado watch 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.