Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 34, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

August 30, 2009Galveston County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this flash flood warning at Aug 30, 2009, 10:46 PM CDT for Galveston County, Texas. It was in force for 59 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 30, 2009, 10:46 PM CDT (03:46 UTC)
Expired
Aug 30, 2009, 11:45 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Galveston County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 32 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:48 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 302 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 00:00Z on 2009-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 298 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 00:00Z on 2009-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -159 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
298 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-135 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1556 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-159 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-179 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 30, 9:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 30, 9:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
917 PM CDT SUN AUG 30 2009

.UPDATE...
SEA BREEZE CONVECTION OVER JEFFERSON COUNTY NOW A LINE OF NEAR
SHORE SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED STORMS BETWEEN GALVESTON AND BUOY
42035...MOVING FURTHER OFFSHORE WITHIN ESTABLISHED MID-STEERING
NORTHERLY FLOW. SYNOPTIC COOL FRONT HAS PULLED UP STATIONARY OVER
THE COASTAL COUNTIES THIS EVENING...TOO WEAK TO EVEN SUPPRESS
BREEZE INTRUSION...MADE IT AS FAR INLAND AS PEARLAND THIS EVENING
(PER TERMINAL DOPPLER). AIR MASS BEHIND THIS BOUNDARY HAS
SIGNIFICANTLY DRIED OUT...MOST LIKELY WHAT KEPT SHOWERS FROM
FORMING ALONG/BEHIND IT AS WAS THE CASE IN PREVIOUS DAYS. PWATS
RANGE FROM AROUND AN INCH UP NORTH TO AROUND 1.4" AT COAST...AID
IN MAKING TOMORROW MORNING FEEL RELATIVELY COOLER FOR LATE
AUGUST. THE CIRRUS STREAMING OVERHEAD ORIGINATING FROM THE
STRONG EAST PAC CAT 4 HURRICANE JIMENA LOCATED AROUND 400 MILES
SOUTH OF SOUTHERN TIP OF THE BAJA PENINSULA. THIS HIGH DECK WILL
COUNTER THIS LIGHT NE WIND FIELD/DRY AIR MASS...BUT MANY MONDAY
MORNING INTERIOR MINIMUMS WILL DIP INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER
70S.

THIS QUASI-STATIONARY/COOL FRONT IS FORECAST TO MAKE IT OFFSHORE
BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON...KEEPING THE CURRENT N-NE FLOW IN PLACE
THROUGH AT LEAST MID WEEK. LOWERING WEST TX PRESSURES AND SURFACE
HIGH MOVING SLOWLY EAST OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL EVENTUALLY TURN
WINDS MORE ONSHORE PAST MID WEEK. THUS...DRIER LOWER LEVELS WILL
ALLOW DAYS TO WARM TO CLIMO (LOW-MID 90S) BUT ALSO KEEP SUBSEQUENT
MORNING TEMPS COOL WITH MANY INLAND LOCALES LOWERING INTO THE MID
TO UPPER 60S BY TUESDAY'S SUNRISE. SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OVER THE
GULF WITH ENOUGH OF A PRESSURE GRADIENT (FROM AFOREMENTIONED UPPER
OH VALLEY/GREAT LAKES HIGH) TO EFFECTIVELY SUPPRESS CONVECTION PER
NE WINDS AND NEAR 1" PWAT AIR. IN OTHER WORDS...A PREDOMINANTLY
DRY PATTERN HEADING INTO SEPTEMBER. 31

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 631 PM CDT SUN AUG 30 2009/

AVIATION...
MAY SEE A BRIEF ISO SHRA/TSTM IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS ALONG
SEABREEZE/BAYBREEZE GENERALLY S OF I-10. POSSIBLY SOME SHALLOW
PATCHY GROUND FOG AT THE USUAL TERMINALS LATE TONIGHT...OTHERWISE
VFR THRU THE PERIOD.  47

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 400 PM CDT SUN AUG 30 2009/
MARINE...
THE OFFSHORE WEAKENING QUICKLY AND SEABREEZE
CIRCULATION DEVELOPING NEAR GALVESTON AT PRESENT. THE ONSHORE FLOW
SHOULD STRENGTHEN WITH THE INLAND ADVANCE OF SEABREEZE BUT WINDS
OVER THE WATERS WILL RELAX QUICKLY AFTER 05Z WITH OFFSHORE
DEVELOPING AGAIN BEFORE SUNRISE. OVERAL THE FORECAST PRETTY QUIET
WITH WINDS BECOMING NE TO E AND PICKING UP TO 10-15 KTS AS HIGH
SHIFTS EAST AND SFC PRESSURE REMAIN LOW OVER CENTRAL/N TX. SEAS OF
1 TO 2 FEET TIL THE FLOW INCREASES THE FETCH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
WHEN PERHAPS SOME 3-4 FOOT WAVES WILL BE TRAVERSING THE AREA.

45

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 248 PM CDT SUN AUG 30 2009/ DEWPOINTS
NOW RUNNING IN THE MID AND UPPER 50S ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HALF OF
CWFA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. OTHER AREAS ARE REPORTING DEWPOINTS IN
THE 60S. WEAK COLD FRONT SHOULD MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS COASTAL WATERS
TONIGHT. ISOLATED CONVECTION OVER FAR EASTERN ZONES HAS BEEN ON
THE WEAK SIDE. STRONGER ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA NOTED NEAR
FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALONG COAST FROM SARGENT TO THE WESTERN PART OF
MATAGORDA BAY. BUT THIS HAS STARTED TO MOVE TO THE NEAR SHORE
WATERS. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON THE COOL SIDE THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS (COMPARED TO WHAT WE EXPERIENCED THE LAST SEVERAL
WEEKS). RATHER BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDING FROM SE CANADA
TO THE OHIO VALLEY TO EAST TX/WEST LA WILL BE NEARLY STATIONARY
(VERY SLOWLY SHIFTING EAST THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS) AND GFS INDICATE
WEAK UPPER LOW BEING CUT OFF OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY BY MID
WEEK. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF HINTING AT A SERIES OF WEAK VORT LOBES
POSSIBLY MOVING IN THE WNW FLOW REACHING NORTH TEXAS THURSDAY
NIGHT AND FRIDAY. FOR NOW DUE TO SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS
SCENARIO WE DID INDICATE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS NORTHERN ZONES FRIDAY.
MOISTURE LEVELS WILL BE ON THE RISE LATE THIS WEEK AND INTO NEXT
WEEKEND. UPPER LEVEL PATTERN INDICATE UPPER LOW/TROUGH EAST OF OUR
REGION MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST WITH UPPER RIDGE JUST WEST OF OUR
REGION FLATTENING. 37

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
COLLEGE STATION (CLL)      68  96  69  94  66 /  10  10  10  10  10
HOUSTON (IAH)              72  94  71  92  68 /  10  10  10  10  10
GALVESTON (GLS)            79  92  80  90  79 /  20  20  20  10  10

&&

.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
GM...NONE.
&&

DISCUSSION...31
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 30, 4:21 AM CDT, 18 hours 25 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
421 AM CDT SUN AUG 30 2009

GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-
227-235>238-310930-
AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-
GALVESTON-GALVESTON BAY-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-
MADISON-MATAGORDA-MATAGORDA BAY-MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-
TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-
WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 NM TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT 20 TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT OUT 20 NM-WHARTON-
421 AM CDT SUN AUG 30 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 30, 10:18 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 30, 10:22 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
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<body>
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    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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      <p id="message2">
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Special weather statement, Aug 30, 10:35 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
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  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
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The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 30, 9:44 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX61 min
Aug 30, 9:48 PM CDTTornado WarningHGXGalveston42 min
Aug 30, 10:09 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX51 min
Aug 30, 10:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHGXGalveston55 min
Aug 30, 10:37 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX53 min
Aug 30, 11:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHGXBrazoria60 min
Aug 31, 3:03 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryHGXBrazoria, Fort Bend, Matagorda, Wharton117 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 2009Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.