Alert archive / New Mexico / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 50, NWS El Paso, TX

August 20, 2008Otero County, New Mexico

NWS El Paso, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 20, 2008, 6:47 PM MDT for Otero County, New Mexico. It was in force for 58 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 20, 2008, 6:47 PM MDT (00:47 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 2008, 7:45 PM MDT
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS El Paso, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Otero County, NM

The radar

The Holloman AFB radar (KHDX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:50 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

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 282 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 00:00Z on 2008-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 390 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 00:00Z on 2008-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 24 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
390 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-109 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2838 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 20, 3:09 PM MDT, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 3:09 PM MDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
309 PM MDT WED AUG 20 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
MODERATE MOISTURE LEVELS AND AN UPPER-LEVEL SHORTWAVE PASSING OVER
THE REGION THIS EVENING WILL WORK WITH DAYTIME HEATING TO PRODUCE
SCATTERED EVENING THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. TOMORROW A RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDING OVER NEW MEXICO WILL WARM TEMPERATURES AND DRY
OUT THE ATMOSPHERE. THIS WILL TEND TO INHIBIT MOST OR ALL STORM
ACTIVITY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. BY SUNDAY AND ESPECIALLY EARLY NEXT
WEEK MOISTURE WORKS BACK INTO THE REGION TO AGAIN INCREASE
THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES ACROSS THE REGION.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
WATER VAPOR SHOWS A NICELY DEFINED SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE WORKING
FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. DESPITE SOMEWHAT LOWER
ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE OVER THE REGION...THIS SYSTEM IS WORKING
EFFICIENTLY WITH OROGRAPHIC AND THERMAL LIFTING AT LOW LEVELS TO
PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE GILA HIGH COUNTRY AND
THE BLACK RANGE. EXPECT MORE DEVELOPMENT TO WORK SE INTO THE HILLS
AND LOWLANDS OF LUNA...DONA ANA...OTERO...EL PASO...AND HUDSPETH
COUNTIES LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. PROG
MODELS SOUNDINGS INDICATE ENOUGH MOISTURE AND HEATING TO
DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE...AND THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT OF THE
SHORTWAVE SHOULD ENHANCE DEVELOPMENT. EXPECT THAT A FEW OF THESE
STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE. ALREADY GOT A STRONG STORM
RESULTING IN A REPORT OF 1/2 HAIL OVER SAN LORENZO.

THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT BUILDS OVER NEW
MEXICO OUT OF THE SW. THIS WILL HELP TO BOTH DRY OUT AND WARM UP
THE ATMOSPHERE. LOWLAND TEMPS WILL RISE INTO THE UPPER 90S.
CHANCES FOR RAIN AND STORMS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIMINISHED FOR
THOSE THREE DAYS.

LATE IN THE WEEKEND THE UPPER HIGH RETREATS BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST
OVER SOUTHERN AZ. RESULTING NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT SHOWS THE
POTENTIAL TO STEER UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCES OVER THE AREA. IN
ADDITION LOW AND MID LEVEL SE-E FLOW ADVECTS MOISTURE BACK INTO
THE REGION...ESPECIALLY THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWFA. THUS EXPECT
AN INCREASE IN STORM CHANCES AND AREAL COVERAGE BEGINNING MONDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...
VALID 21/0000Z - 22/0000Z
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE...MOST EASILY ANALYZED UP AROUND 300 MB
OR SO...WILL SWEEP ACROSS NM THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.  AS
OF 20Z... ALREADY SEEING RAPID CONVECTIVE GROWTH OVER THE GILA.  12Z
NAM AND U OF AZ WRF SUGGEST CONVECTION WILL PUSH SOUTH AND EAST INTO
THE DESERTS THIS EVENING.  12Z RAOB INDICATES MODERATELY UNSTABLE
AIRMASS OVER EPZ... AND GPS PWAT VALUES SUGGEST NO SIGNIFICANT
DRYING HAS OCCURRED SINCE THEN.  SO WHILE CONDITIONS WILL MAINLY BE
VFR... EXPECT A WINDOW FROM ABOUT 21-03Z WHERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD
AFFECT THE LOWLANDS.  DMN/TCS WOULD BE EARLIEST...LRU/ELP LATER.
DRIER AIRMASS SHOULD RESULT IN DECREASE IN COVERAGE FOR LATER IN THE
WEEK.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
UPPER DISTURBANCE HIGH ALOFT WILL SWEEP ACROSS NM THROUGH THIS
EVENING... ALREADY RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD TSRA OVER AN ALREADY
SATURATED GILA NATL FOREST.  MODELS AND OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST STORMS
WILL LIKELY SURVIVE INTO THE DESERT LOWLANDS THIS EVENING... HELPED
ALONG BY UPPER FORCING.  DRIER CONDITIONS AND WARMER TEMPERATURES
WILL SET IN FOR THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH MIN RH VALUES POSSIBLY
DROPPING BELOW 20 PERCENT BY FRI AFTERNOON.  BY THE WEEKEND...
NORTHEASTERLY FLOW ALOFT SHOULD BRING INCREASING CONVECTIVE COVERAGE
TO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...WHILE IT MAY TAKE A BIT LONGER FOR THE
LOWLANDS TO MOISTEN BACK UP.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
EL PASO                 69  96  72  98  73 /  30  10  10  10   0
SIERRA BLANCA TX        64  93  66  95  67 /  30  10  10  10   0
LAS CRUCES              67  96  69  98  70 /  30  10  10  10   0
ALAMOGORDO              67  93  69  95  69 /  30  10  10  10   0
CLOUDCROFT              49  75  51  77  50 /  30  20  20  20  10
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES   67  93  65  96  68 /  30  10  10  10   0
SILVER CITY             60  90  61  91  63 /  20  10  10  10  10
DEMING                  67  95  68  97  68 /  20  10  10  10   0
LORDSBURG               66  95  67  97  67 /  20  10  10  10   0

&&

.EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...NONE.
TX...NONE.
&&

14/25 BIRD/HARDIMAN
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 20, 11:00 AM MDT, 7 hours 47 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
1100 AM MDT WED AUG 20 2008

NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-211715-
SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/LOWER GILA REGION-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES REGION-
TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-
SOUTHWEST DESERT/BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN-
SOUTHERN DESERT-EL PASO-HUDSPETH-
1100 AM MDT WED AUG 20 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE LOWLANDS. THE STRONGEST STORMS COULD
PRODUCE 60 MPH WIND GUSTS AND NICKEL SIZE HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

GENERALLY STORM-FREE DAYS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY. ONLY VERY SLIGHT CHANCES FOR RAIN THOSE DAYS AS STRONG
HIGH PRESSURE CENTERS OVER NEW MEXICO. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
MOISTURE LEVELS INCREASE A BIT AS THE UPPER HIGH SHIFTS WESTS. THIS
SHOULD ALLOW A RETURN OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS
SCATTERED OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ISOLATED OVER THE LOWLANDS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT HAZARDOUS WEATHER TO THIS OFFICE OR LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT.

BIRD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 20, 5:19 PM MDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
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The office that day

Everything else NWS El Paso, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 20, 7:20 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryEPZHudspeth115 min
Aug 20, 8:02 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEPZEl Paso58 min
Aug 20, 9:02 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryEPZEl Paso, Hudspeth118 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in New Mexico, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

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.