Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2004

Tornado Watch 47

April 6, 2004Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana; 26 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 6, 2004, 11:05 AM CDT for Beauregard Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana; 26 counties in Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 6, 2004, 11:05 AM CDT (16:05 UTC)
Expired
Apr 6, 2004, 4:00 PM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 28 counties

Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Aransas County, TX, Austin County, TX, Bee County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, DeWitt County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Goliad County, TX, Gonzales County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Karnes County, TX, Lavaca County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Nueces County, TX, Orange County, TX, Refugio County, TX, San Patricio County, TX, Victoria County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:08 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 11:05 AM CDTTornado WarningCRPNueces40 min
Apr 6, 11:08 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda52 min
Apr 6, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPRefugio, San Patricio65 min
Apr 6, 11:16 AM CDTTornado WarningCRPNueces44 min
Apr 6, 11:35 AM CDTTornado WarningHGXWharton55 min
Apr 6, 11:44 AM CDTTornado WarningCRPCalhoun61 min
Apr 6, 12:00 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXMatagorda60 min
Apr 6, 12:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHarris63 min
Apr 6, 12:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCRPCalhoun21 min
Apr 6, 12:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria59 min
Apr 6, 1:03 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXBrazoria42 min
Apr 6, 2:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson22 min
Apr 6, 2:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers32 min
Apr 6, 2:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHJefferson66 min
Apr 6, 3:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHCalcasieu, Cameron26 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 199 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 2004-04-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1044 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2004-04-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 133 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1044 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
598 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
9.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 061605
SEL7  
SPC WW 061605
LAZ000-TXZ000-CWZ000-062100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 47
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1105 AM CDT TUE APR 6 2004

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

       SWRN LOUISIANA
       COASTAL PLAIN OF TEXAS
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1105 AM UNTIL
400 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES WEST OF BEEVILLE TEXAS TO 45 MILES
EAST OF PORT ARTHUR 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 46. WATCH NUMBER 46 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1105
AM CDT. 


DISCUSSION...ENVIRONMENT SUITABLE FOR SUPERCELLS AND ACCOMPANYING
TORNADOES EXPECTED TO SPREAD ENEWD ALONG COASTAL PLAIN TO SWRN LA AS
MARINE FRONT LIFTS NWD...WHILE AIR MASS REMAINS FAVORABLY SHEARED
AND UNSTABLE OVER TX COASTAL BEND REGION.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24025.


...edwards/corfidi

291,0980 305,0931 290,0931 272,0980

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 12:52 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeauregard, Calcasieu83 min
Apr 6, 2:43 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeauregard, Calcasieu62 min
Apr 5, 10:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBandera, Bexar, Blanco, Comal, Frio, Gillespie and 13 more6 hr
Apr 5, 11:55 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBandera, Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Llano and 5 more2 hr
Apr 6, 2:42 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Dimmit and 12 more63 min
Apr 6, 7:39 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtascosa, Austin, Bee, Brazoria, Colorado, DeWitt and 14 more66 min
Apr 6, 7:55 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAransas, Austin, Bee, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson and 20 more5 hr
Apr 6, 9:29 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAransas, Austin, Bee, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson and 20 more91 min
Apr 6, 10:27 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAustin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston and 3 more63 min
Apr 6, 2:19 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Childress, Clay, Cottle, Crosby and 22 more116 min

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.