Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2005
Tornado Watch 263
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 12, 2005, 8:40 PM CDT for Greer County, Harmon County, Jackson County, Oklahoma; 12 counties in Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 12, 2005, 8:40 PM CDT (01:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 2005, 2:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Greer County, OK, Harmon County, OK, Jackson County, OK, Briscoe County, TX, Childress County, TX, Cottle County, TX, Crosby County, TX, Dickens County, TX, Floyd County, TX, Foard County, TX, Hale County, TX, Hall County, TX, Hardeman County, TX, Lubbock County, TX, Motley County, TX
The radar
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:43 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
41 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 8:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Floyd, Hale | 59 min |
| May 12, 8:53 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 2 hr |
| May 12, 8:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Briscoe | 64 min |
| May 12, 9:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hall | 59 min |
| May 12, 9:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 60 min |
| May 12, 9:18 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Floyd | 27 min |
| May 12, 9:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Crosby | 46 min |
| May 12, 9:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Childress | 57 min |
| May 12, 9:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hale | 64 min |
| May 12, 9:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Floyd | 46 min |
| May 12, 9:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Floyd | 39 min |
| May 12, 9:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Harmon | 49 min |
| May 12, 10:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Motley | 62 min |
| May 12, 10:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Crosby | 58 min |
| May 12, 10:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Floyd | 64 min |
| May 12, 10:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 56 min |
| May 12, 10:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Motley | 54 min |
| May 12, 10:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer, Harmon | 37 min |
| May 12, 10:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hale | 62 min |
| May 12, 10:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Floyd | 40 min |
| May 12, 11:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Beckham, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Washita | 67 min |
| May 12, 11:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Motley | 61 min |
| May 12, 11:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 31 min |
| May 12, 11:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Floyd | 59 min |
| May 12, 11:33 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 27 min |
| May 12, 11:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Cottle | 66 min |
| May 12, 11:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Hale | 64 min |
| May 12, 11:59 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LUB | Hale | 2 hr |
| May 13, 12:08 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 37 min |
| May 13, 12:10 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Crosby | 35 min |
| May 13, 12:11 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Foard, Hardeman | 49 min |
| May 13, 12:18 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Lubbock | 42 min |
| May 13, 12:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Floyd, Motley | 53 min |
| May 13, 12:33 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Hale | 27 min |
| May 13, 12:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Cottle | 61 min |
| May 13, 12:59 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Hale | 31 min |
| May 13, 1:04 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Floyd | 56 min |
| May 13, 1:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Motley | 48 min |
| May 13, 1:40 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Cottle | 65 min |
| May 13, 1:50 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Hardeman | 25 min |
| May 13, 1:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LUB | Motley | 65 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
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 137 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 246 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -16 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 610 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 142 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 174 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 130137
SEL3
SPC WW 130137
OKZ000-TXZ000-130700-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 263
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
840 PM CDT THU MAY 12 2005
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA
SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE
EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 840 PM UNTIL
200 AM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 40 STATUTE MILES
NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF LUBBOCK
TEXAS TO 50 MILES EAST OF CHILDRESS TEXAS. FOR A COMPLETE
DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).
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 260. WATCH NUMBER 260 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 840
PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 259...WW 261...WW 262...
DISCUSSION...LARGE SUPERCELLS CONTINUE SRN TX PANHANDLE. WITH VERY
FAVORABLE VEERING SHEAR PROFILES MDT INSTABILITY AND LOW
LCLS...TORNADO POTENTIAL EXPECTED TO PERSIST SEVERAL MORE HOURS AS
THE STORMS MOVE SLOWLY E/SEWD.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27020.
...HALES
342,1020 350,0992 335,0992 330,1020SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 7:56 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beckham, Greer, Harmon, Jackson | 64 min |
| May 12, 9:35 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Beckham, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Ellis and 10 more | 85 min |
| May 12, 10:48 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson and 3 more | 57 min |
| May 12, 11:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alfalfa, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Comanche, Cotton and 17 more | 5 hr |
| May 13, 1:04 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Caddo, Canadian, Comanche, Cotton, Garfield, Grady and 5 more | 86 min |
| May 13, 4:04 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Comanche, Cotton, Stephens, Tillman | 56 min |
| May 13, 1:52 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Harmon, Jackson | 83 min |
| May 13, 2:10 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Custer and 8 more | 7 hr |
| May 13, 3:50 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Craig, Garfield, Grant, Harper, Kay and 8 more | 85 min |
| May 13, 5:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alfalfa, Blaine, Craig, Custer, Delaware, Dewey and 21 more | 7 hr |
| May 13, 5:56 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Custer and 8 more | 64 min |
| May 13, 6:25 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Garfield, Grant and 12 more | 65 min |
| May 13, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton and 20 more | 7 hr |
| May 13, 1:12 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Childress, Cottle, Crosby, Floyd, Hale, Hall and 2 more | 63 min |
| May 13, 1:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Baylor, Cottle, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Foard and 8 more | 5 hr |
| May 13, 2:13 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Brewster, Crockett, Irion, Terrell | 2 hr |
| May 13, 6:08 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Coke, Crane, Fisher, Glasscock, Howard, Irion and 11 more | 67 min |
| May 13, 6:25 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Eastland and 16 more | 7 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Texas, 2005Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2005Every tornado watch in 2005
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.