Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2020

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 64, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

April 29, 202014 counties in Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 29, 2020, 4:11 AM CDT for 14 counties in Texas. It was in force for 64 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
Apr 29, 2020, 4:11 AM CDT (09:11 UTC)
Expired
Apr 29, 2020, 5:15 AM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Austin County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Harris County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:13 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 28, 8:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC9 hr
Apr 29, 2:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 237 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 00:00Z on 2020-04-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 24 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 00:00Z on 2020-04-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 19 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
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-315 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1489 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
227 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 28, 3:34 PM CDT, 12 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 3:34 PM CDT, 12 hours 37 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
334 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020

.SHORT TERM [Through Wednesday Night]...

Well, there was a bit more shower and thunderstorm activity this
afternoon than expected. A weak shortwave and a little to no capping
has allowed storms to pop up and down across the area, and this is
expected to continue through around sunset. There will be a bit of a
lull in activity from sunset through around midnight, but then the
next round of thunderstorms is expected to begin to approach the
area. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms will quickly move
southward across the area tonight first moving through the northern
zones around 1 to 3am, then racing southward to the Houston Metro
area between 3 and 6am, and finally off the coast by 5 to 7am. This
is slightly later than previously thought as the TT-WRF and HRRR has
slowed the arrival a bit, but once the line gets going it should
speed through the area. The main threat continues to be damaging
wind gusts with the passage, but hail and an isolated tornado or two
is still possible. While severe storms will be possible across the
area, the higher chances will be north of I-10 with increasing
threat the further north you go.

After the passage of the line of storms in the early morning, the
rest of the day will feature clearing skies with a northerly wind.
High temperatures tomorrow will be in the mid 80s across the area,
then dipping down mid to upper 50s tomorrow night.

Fowler

&&

.LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday)
A deep upper trough over the southern Great Lakes will allow upper
level ridging to expand over Texas. 500 mb heights will increase
and temperatures will slowly warm on Thursday into Friday. 850
temps warm up on Saturday into Sunday so surface temperatures
should also climb a bit and high temperatures will warm from the
lower 80's on the Thursday to the mid/upper 80's on Friday to the
lower/mid 90's Saturday through Tuesday. Heat index values will
warm to near 100 degrees Sunday/Monday. The upper ridge will
flatten as an upper trough tracks across the northern plains. The
upper trough will phase with a weak short wave over the Rockies to
carve out a deeper long wave trough over the eastern US. This will
allow a sfc cold front to cross the area on Tuesday night bringing
a chance of showers and also some cooler temperatures for the
middle of next week. 43

&&

.MARINE...

Moderate onshore flow with 4 to 6 foot seas are expected through
tonight ahead of an approaching cold front resulting in caution
flags continuing through the night. This line of storms will move
through the area during the early to mid morning hours on Wednesday
bringing strong gusty winds. This line of storms will usher in
northerly winds Wednesday afternoon, becoming moderate overnight
Wednesday possibly resulting in additional caution flags. Light
onshore flow will emerge through Friday, but this flow will increase
to near caution criteria again over the weekend.

Fowler

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL)      68  80  53  83  57 /  80  40   0   0   0
Houston (IAH)              70  82  58  83  60 /  80  70   0   0   0
Galveston (GLS)            71  81  66  79  71 /  50  80   0   0   0

&&

.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
GM...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION through Wednesday morning
     for the following zones: Coastal waters from Freeport to
     Matagorda Ship Channel TX out 20 NM...Coastal waters from
     High Island to Freeport TX out 20 NM...Galveston Bay...
     Matagorda Bay...Waters from Freeport to Matagorda Ship
     Channel TX from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from High Island to
     Freeport TX from 20 to 60 NM.

&&

Discussion...43

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 10:02 PM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryHGX12 hr
Apr 29, 1:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston, Trinity58 min
Apr 29, 2:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXHouston, Madison, Polk, Trinity, Walker62 min
Apr 29, 2:41 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHGXBurleson49 min
Apr 29, 2:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Grimes, Houston, Madison, Montgomery, Polk and 3 more55 min
Apr 29, 2:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBurleson, Washington52 min
Apr 29, 3:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson, Grimes, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk and 3 more40 min
Apr 29, 3:43 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHGXWashington47 min
Apr 29, 4:12 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Apr 29, 4:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson29 min
Apr 29, 4:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and 3 more61 min
Apr 29, 5:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXAustin, Colorado, Washington33 min
Apr 29, 5:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazoria, Chambers, Galveston19 min
Apr 29, 6:03 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHGXBrazoria, Colorado, Matagorda, Wharton42 min
Apr 29, 6:09 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX66 min
Apr 29, 6:43 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryHGXBrazoria3 hr
Apr 29, 6:47 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryHGXGalveston118 min
Apr 29, 7:10 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX65 min
Apr 29, 7:11 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementHGXBrazoria, Jackson, Matagorda, Wharton64 min
Apr 29, 8:12 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningHGX93 min
Apr 29, 8:46 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningHGXChambers, Liberty49 hr
Apr 29, 10:09 AM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryHGX5 hr
Apr 29, 2:51 PM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryHGX8 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2020Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2020

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.