Funnel Cloud, Fort Bend
- When
- July 4, 11:35 AM CST
- Where
- Fort Bend County, 0.92 mi NE of Richmond
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 29.590, -95.740
The funnel cloud was sighted near the intersection of US 90 and FM 359.
Funnel Cloud in Texas, July 4, 2008
Scattered 4th of July thunderstorms produced an early afternoon inland funnel cloud.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 happened
The episode as NWS HGX wrote it up.
Scattered 4th of July thunderstorms produced an early afternoon inland funnel cloud.
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 Jul 4, 9:26 AM CST, 2 hours 9 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 9:26 AM CST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1026 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008 .DISCUSSION... GOOD COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SE TX THIS AFTN. CONVECTIVE BAND ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE DEEPER MOISTURE (2 INCH PWS) ADVANCING NORTHWARD AT ABOUT 25 KTS ONTO THE MID/UPPER TX COAST THIS HOUR. SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA RAPIDLY DEVELOPING NORTH OF THIS PRECIP OVER THE CENTRAL/COASTAL ZONES. 12Z CRP/LCH SOUNDINGS SHOW NO CAPPING WITH CONVECTIVE TEMPS ONLY IN THE MID 80S. THE INITIAL BAND OF CONVECTION FROM THE GULF WILL PUSH THROUGH HOUSTON BY 18Z AND INTO THE NRN ZONES BY MID AFTN. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT THIS ROUND OF STORMS WILL STABILIZE ATMOSPHERE SOMEWHAT...AND RESULT IN LESS COVERAGE SOUTHERN AREAS BY LATE AFTN. HAVE KEPT POPS IN THE 50/60 PCT RANGE AS A RESULT. HAVE BOOSTED POPS UP NORTH WHERE SCATTERED COVERAGE IS EXPECTED BY MID AFTN. THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER WILL RESULT IN COOLER TEMPS ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN HALF...WITH MANY LOCATIONS TOPPING OUT ONLY IN THE UPPER 80S/NEAR 90. CONVECTION OVER INLAND AREAS SHOULD DIMINISH IN TIME FOR THE FIREWORKS THIS EVENING. 35 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 655 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008/ DISCUSSION... UPDATED TO ADD THE AVIATION SECTION. AVIATION... THERE IS A BIT BETTER MOISTURE WAS EVIDENT THIS MORNING OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SE TX. THE AVIATION FORECAST CONFIDENCE LEVEL WAS MODERATE...WITH LESS CONFIDENCE MORE TOWARD THE COAST THAN AT CLL AND UTS. BEST RAIN CHANCES WILL BE TOWARD THE COAST AND THE MODELS ARE FORECASTING A CHANCE FOR RAIN OVER THE METRO HOUSTON SITES. MOST SITES WILL SEE A DECLINE IN SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY BY OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET. ANOTHER PERIOD OF SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS AFTER 08Z. 40 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 504 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008/ DISCUSSION... UPDATED MARINE SECTION. MARINE... ONSHORE FLOW TO CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL HELP GENERATE STORMS THROUGH THE PERIOD. ALTHOUGH THESE WILL RAISE SOME HAVOC WITH THE WIND DIRECTION...A GENERAL SOUTHEAST DIRECTION IS SUPPORTED BY THE MODELS. DO NOT EXPECT CAUTION OR ADVISORY CRITERIA WILL BE MET. HOWEVER...SOME STRENGTHENING IN THE WIND SPEEDS MAINLY OFF THE COAST ARE FORECASTED BY THE MODELS LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. 40 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 351 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008/ DISCUSSION... MOISTURE LEVELS ON THE RISE WITH PWS FORECAST TO RISE TO AROUND 2 INCHES THIS AFTERNOON. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW NO CAPPING AND CONVECTIVE TEMPS IN THE LOWER 80S. A WEAK UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE AREA OVER EASTERN LOUISIANA MIGHT IMPART SOME SUBSIDENCE OVER THE REGION BUT FEEL THE HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS AND DAYTIME HEATING WILL OVERCOME THE SUBSIDENCE. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM INDICATE DECENT 850 MB WIND CONVERGENCE TODAY. THE NAM IS PARTICULARLY AGGRESSIVE TODAY BUT DONT FEEL THE DAY WILL BE A TOTAL WASHOUT. CONDITIONS REMAIN SIMILAR ON SATURDAY WITH HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS REMAINING IN PLACE AND CONVECTIVE TEMPS IN THE MID 80S. 250 MB WINDS ON SATURDAY INDICATE THE AREA WILL BE IN A LEFT FRONT QUAD WHICH MIGHT ENHANCE COVERAGE/INTENSITY. THE DEEPER MOISTURE SAGS SOUTHWEST ON SUNDAY SO THE BETTER RAIN CHANCES SHOULD ALSO SHIFT SOUTHWEST. FORECAST SOUNDINGS STILL SHOW AN UNCAPPED ENVIRONMENT SO SCATTERED SEA BREEZE ACTIVITY STILL POSSIBLE. ANOTHER WEAKNESS ALOFT DEVELOPS EARLY NEXT WEEK SO AM EXPECTING DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS TO PERSIST. THE ECMWF IS MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH RAIN CHANCES AND HAS BEEN VERY CONSISTENT SO HAVE LEANED TOWARD THE ECMWF SOLN. 43 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 93 72 93 73 95 / 40 30 30 30 20 HOUSTON (IAH) 91 73 91 73 93 / 50 20 40 30 20 GALVESTON (GLS) 88 79 89 79 89 / 50 30 40 20 20 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && DISCUSSION...35
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 4, 9:37 AM CST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1037 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008 GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226- 227-235>238-051200- 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- 1037 AM CDT FRI JUL 4 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY AS A SWATH OF DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE SPREADS INTO THE AREA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...AND GUSTY WINDS. SHORT LIVED FUNNEL CLOUDS OR WATERSPOUTS WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THE COAST AND BAYS THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH ALONG WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:36 UTC.
Event by event
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 4, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, July 4, 2008
- Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, July 4 to 5, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 4, 2008
- Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, July 4 to 5, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 4, 2008
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, July 4, 2008
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Alabama, July 4, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Arizona, July 4, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, July 4, 2008
- Wildfire and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 4, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 4, 2008
More
Every storm in Texas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, July 2008
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: 122457.