Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2004

Tornado Watch 199

May 13, 2004Allen Parish, Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana; 28 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 13, 2004, 12:10 PM CDT for Allen Parish, Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana; 28 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 13, 2004, 12:10 PM CDT (17:10 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2004, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 31 counties

Allen Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Angelina County, TX, Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fayette County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Polk County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:13 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.

Warnings issued inside it

24 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 12:13 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXMontgomery2 hr
May 13, 12:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty68 min
May 13, 12:40 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXHarris, Liberty65 min
May 13, 12:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSHVAngelina2 hr
May 13, 1:15 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXTrinity75 min
May 13, 1:32 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHTyler28 min
May 13, 1:38 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXHarris, Waller, Washington112 min
May 13, 1:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers60 min
May 13, 1:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJasper59 min
May 13, 2:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHNewton62 min
May 13, 2:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson, Grimes, Houston, Liberty, Madison and 5 more2 hr
May 13, 2:32 PM CDTTornado WarningLCHJasper28 min
May 13, 2:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHOrange54 min
May 13, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Vernon60 min
May 13, 3:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEWXBastrop, Caldwell, Fayette4 hr
May 13, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson52 min
May 13, 3:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXColorado67 min
May 13, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHBeauregard, Calcasieu, Vernon63 min
May 13, 4:15 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHJefferson, Orange4 hr
May 13, 4:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHAllen, Jefferson Davis59 min
May 13, 4:33 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Montgomery, Polk and 4 more3 hr
May 13, 4:42 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHCalcasieu3 hr
May 13, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Waller38 min
May 13, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris, Montgomery53 min

Discussions around it

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

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 207 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 2004-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1515 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2004-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 70 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1515 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
727 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
70 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

969 
WWUS20 KWNS 131710
SEL9  
SPC WW 131710
LAZ000-TXZ000-CWZ000-132300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 199
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1210 PM CDT THU MAY 13 2004

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

       SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
       SOUTHEAST TEXAS
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1210 PM UNTIL
600 PM 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 EITHER SIDE
OF A LINE FROM 80 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF HOUSTON TEXAS TO 85
MILES EAST OF LUFKIN 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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 197. WATCH NUMBER 197 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER
1210 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 198...

DISCUSSION...LARGE MCS HAS DEVELOPED A COLD POOL WHICH WILL
ACCELERATE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS TOWARD THE GULF COAST.  WITH A
40-50 KT LLJ AND  A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE  AIR MASS FEEDING
STORMS...ISOLATED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY...IN ADDITION TO
WIND DAMAGE WITH LINE SEGMENTS AND BOWS THAT DEVELOP

AVIATION...TORNADOES 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 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28025.


...HALES

295,0970 315,0935 302,0924 282,0955

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 8:03 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 1 more57 min
May 13, 1:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeauregard, Calcasieu, Sabine97 min
May 13, 2:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier and 31 more6 hr
May 13, 3:54 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Caldwell and 29 more2 hr
May 13, 5:22 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalcasieu53 min
May 13, 6:23 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Caldwell and 30 more97 min
May 12, 8:04 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Callahan, Fisher, Foard, Hardeman and 13 more86 min
May 13, 3:52 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Angelina, Austin, Bastrop, Brazos, Burleson and 27 more83 min
May 13, 8:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Austin, Bastrop, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell and 17 more6 hr
May 13, 9:54 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAngelina, Austin, Bastrop, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell and 17 more96 min
May 13, 10:20 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Dickens, Foard and 10 more115 min
May 13, 10:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArcher, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Hardeman, Knox and 2 more6 hr
May 13, 12:26 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBandera, Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho and 26 more2 hr
May 13, 12:48 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Haskell, Knox and 4 more117 min
May 13, 12:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBrown, Callahan, Coleman, Concho, Eastland, Haskell and 14 more6 hr
May 13, 2:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAtascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal and 21 more6 hr
May 13, 2:48 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Clay, Haskell, Wichita87 min
May 13, 2:57 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrown, Callahan, Coleman, Concho, Eastland, Haskell and 14 more2 hr
May 13, 3:34 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal and 21 more86 min
May 13, 5:54 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrown, Callahan, Coleman, Concho, Eastland, Haskell and 14 more96 min
May 13, 6:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, Mason and 6 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2004Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2004Every tornado watch in 2004

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.