Texas, 2003

Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, March 13, 2003

March 13, 2003 · NWS HGX · 13 events in 8 counties and zones

12 hail, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$76,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Mar 13, 9:10 AM CST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 9:10 AM CST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
910 AM CST THU MAR 13 2003

SURROUNDING SOUNDINGS INDICATE HIGHLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER REGION
...MOIST TO ABOUT 700 MB AND QUITE DRIER ABOVE. TOTAL TOTALS AT 61
AND CAPE NEAR 3600 J/KB. UPDATED 1ST PERIOD OF ZFPHGX TO REFLECT
CURRENT TRENDS INCLUDING SPC ISSUANCE OF SVR TSTM WATCH NUMBER 38.
EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN FROM SLOWER MOVING STORMS. HAVE ADJUSTED MAX
TEMPS SLIGHTLY DOWNWARD.

.HGX...NPW FOR DENSE FOG ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO
       CONROE TO BELLVILLE THRU 10 AM.
       SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS TIL 2
       AM.

CLL TB 079/059 077/054 078 531
IAH TB 079/060 077/055 078 631
GLS TB 074/064 072/061 073 642

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
QUITE A RANGE OF CEILING HEIGHTS AND VSBYS TONIGHT ACROSS SE TX. DENSE
FOG IS GENERALLY CONFINED TO THE COASTAL COUNTIES WITH LIGHT FOG
INLAND. HOWEVER DWH JUST REPORTED DENSE FOG. THEREFORE WILL GO AHEAD
AND LEAVE CURRENT ADVISORY AS IS AND CANCEL LATER THIS MORNING FOR
PORTIONS OF THE AREA IF DENSE FOG DOES NOT DEVELOP FURTHER INLAND.

MAIN FORECAST ISSUE IS THE CHC OF SVR TSTMS TODAY AND EARLY THIS
EVENING. APPEARS THAT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR
A THREAT OF SVR TSTMS AREAWIDE. CONVECTION CURRENTLY ALONG THE RED
RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH S-SE AND WILL LIKELY AT LEAST PROVIDE A
BOUNDARY FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS SE TX IN A VERY MOIST AND
UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. IN FACT...AM CONCERNED THAT IT WILL HOLD TOGETHER
AND MOVE INTO NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SE TX LATER THIS MORNING. LIS
ARE LIKELY TO BE IN THE -6 TO -9 RANGE LATER TODAY AS MID-LEVELS
COOL WITH MID-UPPER LEVEL TROF AMPLIFYING AND EXTENDING BACK INTO SE
TX. FLOW AT THE MID-LEVELS WILL BECOME MORE NORTHERLY DURING THE DAY
WHICH WILL AID IN A SOUTHWARD PROPAGATION DURING THE
AFTERNOON...WHICH MEANS ENTIRE AREA WILL BE UNDER THE GUN TODAY. SE
TX WILL BE IN THE LF QUAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL JET MAX WHICH WILL
PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL DIVERGENCE ALOFT. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW
MID-LEVEL DRY AIR WHICH WILL ENHANCE CONVECTIVE DOWNDRAFTS.
THEREFORE...AGREE WITH SPC SLIGHT RISK OUTLOOK. BELIEVE THE THREAT
WILL EXTEND INTO THE EARLY EVE HOURS...ESPECIALLY FOR SOUTHERN
ZONES...SO WILL HAVE HIGHEST 2ND PD POPS THERE. MAIN THREATS WILL BE
HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.

WILL HAVE HIGHEST POPS ACROSS EASTERN ZONES WHERE SLIGHTLY DEEPER
MOISTURE AND BETTER LIFT WILL BE PRESENT. POPS HAVE BEEN TRENDED
CLOSE TO MESO-ETA MODEL. BELIEVE WITH PW VALUES REACHING CLOSE TO
1.5 INCHES...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS A THREAT. WILL PROBABLY
ADDRESS THIS IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND LEAVE OUT OF ZONES
AS PRIMARY THREAT APPEARS TO BE SVR TSTMS. WILL KEEP A 20 PERCENT
CHC ALONG THE COAST ON FRIDAY...WHERE MOISTURE LEVELS WILL STILL BE
DEEP ENOUGH FOR PRECIP DEVELOPMENT...FURTHER INLAND WILL DROP POPS.
BELIEVE ATMOSPHERE WILL GRADUALLY DRY LATER TONIGHT AND THROUGH
FRIDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE TROUGH AND NE SFC FLOW. THEREFORE WILL
DROP POPS THIS WEEKEND ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. THERE MAY BE A FEW
SHOWERS ACROSS WESTERN AREAS SUN AFT.

MODELS STILL SHOW A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM AFFECTING SE TX MON AND
TUE AS AN IMPRESSIVE TROUGH MOVES FROM THE WEST COAST TO THE CENTRAL
U.S. WILL KEEP CHC POPS FOR THESE DAYS.

33/46
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 13, 7:00 AM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes before
TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-141300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
700 AM CST THU MAR 13 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE TODAY AND
THIS EVENING ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM FOR AREAS GENERALLY
ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO CONROE TO BELLVILLE.

A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE IS IN PLACE OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS
TODAY. AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND BOUNDARY FROM
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS
MORNING WILL TRIGGER THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AREA TODAY.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES
AND DRY AIR IN THE MIDDLE LAYER OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THE PRIMARY
SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE A THREAT DUE TO SLOW MOVING STORMS AND
VERY HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO AVERAGE A
HALF TO ONE INCH ACROSS THE AREA WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF THREE INCHES
POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY.

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Chambers

When
March 13, 12:50 PM CST to 2:30 PM CST
Where
Chambers County, Mont Belvieu
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
29.708, -94.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Street Flooding in and around Mont Belvieu.

Hail, Montgomery

When
March 13, 4:09 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County, Magnolia
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.217, -95.750

Hail, Montgomery

When
March 13, 4:56 PM CST
Where
Montgomery County, 8 mi SW of Conroe
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.233, -95.550

Hail, Waller

When
March 13, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Waller County, Brookshire
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
29.817, -95.933

Hail, Austin

When
March 13, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Austin County, 2 mi E of Sealy
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
29.783, -96.117

Hail, Fort Bend

When
March 13, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Fort Bend County, Simonton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$7,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
29.700, -95.967

Hail, Wharton

When
March 13, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Wharton County, Wharton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$9,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
29.317, -96.100

Hail, Wharton

When
March 13, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Wharton County, Wharton
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
29.317, -96.100

Hail, Wharton

When
March 13, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Wharton County, Wharton
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
29.317, -96.100

Hail, Matagorda

When
March 13, 8:40 PM CST
Where
Matagorda County, 2 mi W of Markham
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$4,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
28.950, -96.100

Hail, Matagorda

When
March 13, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Matagorda County, Midfield
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$7,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
28.933, -96.200

Hail, Matagorda

When
March 13, 9:25 PM CST
Where
Matagorda County, 5 mi SE of Blessing
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
28.817, -96.150

Hail, Jackson

When
March 13, 9:54 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, La Ward
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
28.833, -96.467

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 2003

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5348796, 5348797, 5348798, 5348800, 5348799, 5348801, 5348802, 5348803, 5348804, 5349128, 5349129, 5349130, 5349131.