Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2009

Tornado Watch 157

April 16, 200940 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 16, 2009, 4:42 PM CDT for 40 counties in Texas. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 16, 2009, 4:42 PM CDT (21:42 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 2009, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
3 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 40 counties

Andrews County, TX, Borden County, TX, Briscoe County, TX, Castro County, TX, Childress County, TX, Coke County, TX, Cottle County, TX, Crane County, TX, Crockett County, TX, Crosby County, TX, Dawson County, TX, Dickens County, TX, Ector County, TX, Fisher County, TX, Floyd County, TX, Gaines County, TX, Garza County, TX, Glasscock County, TX, Hale County, TX, Hall County, TX, Hockley County, TX, Howard County, TX, Irion County, TX, Kent County, TX, King County, TX, Lamb County, TX, Lubbock County, TX, Lynn County, TX, Martin County, TX, Midland County, TX, Mitchell County, TX, Motley County, TX, Nolan County, TX, Reagan County, TX, Scurry County, TX, Sterling County, TX, Stonewall County, TX, Swisher County, TX, Terry County, TX, Upton County, TX

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:56 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
70%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
30%
Ten or more severe hail reports
70%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
50%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
90%

Warnings issued inside it

75 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHale62 min
Apr 16, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Floyd, Hale, Lubbock26 min
Apr 16, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBSwisher66 min
Apr 16, 5:01 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBCrosby, Floyd, Hale, Lubbock44 min
Apr 16, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFBorden47 min
Apr 16, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFMidland46 min
Apr 16, 5:18 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBLubbock42 min
Apr 16, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFBorden30 min
Apr 16, 5:32 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBGarza43 min
Apr 16, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFMartin58 min
Apr 16, 5:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBGarza33 min
Apr 16, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Floyd66 min
Apr 16, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBSwisher33 min
Apr 16, 5:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFBorden, Scurry32 min
Apr 16, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBCrosby, Lubbock45 min
Apr 16, 6:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFEctor, Midland57 min
Apr 16, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFBorden, Dawson, Howard, Martin38 min
Apr 16, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Dickens, Garza, Kent60 min
Apr 16, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHale, Lubbock45 min
Apr 16, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFBorden, Dawson, Howard, Martin56 min
Apr 16, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFEctor, Winkler38 min
Apr 16, 6:33 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBGarza, Kent42 min
Apr 16, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBFloyd34 min
Apr 16, 6:42 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBCrosby48 min
Apr 16, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHale, Lubbock32 min
Apr 16, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFBorden, Dawson32 min
Apr 16, 6:44 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBGarza31 min
Apr 16, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBGarza, Lynn23 min
Apr 16, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBFloyd45 min
Apr 16, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFAndrews, Ector59 min
Apr 16, 7:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro, Lamb58 min
Apr 16, 7:12 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBGarza, Kent48 min
Apr 16, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro47 min
Apr 16, 7:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Garza33 min
Apr 16, 7:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBLubbock, Lynn, Terry57 min
Apr 16, 7:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBFloyd, Motley48 min
Apr 16, 7:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFMartin27 min
Apr 16, 7:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHockley, Lubbock29 min
Apr 16, 7:55 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBDickens, Garza, Kent50 min
Apr 16, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro16 min
Apr 16, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFHoward, Martin62 min
Apr 16, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Floyd, Hale, Lubbock45 min
Apr 16, 8:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFAndrews55 min
Apr 16, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBDickens, Kent63 min
Apr 16, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFHoward44 min
Apr 16, 8:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBBriscoe, Floyd, Hale, Swisher56 min
Apr 16, 8:50 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFHoward, Martin40 min
Apr 16, 8:59 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBHockley, Lubbock24 min
Apr 16, 9:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCrane, Ector, Pecos44 min
Apr 16, 9:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFMartin23 min
Apr 16, 9:08 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBLubbock19 min
Apr 16, 9:14 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBHale31 min
Apr 16, 9:27 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFMartin63 min
Apr 16, 9:28 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFBorden, Howard32 min
Apr 16, 9:34 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBDickens, Kent41 min
Apr 16, 9:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCrane, Midland, Upton53 min
Apr 16, 9:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMAFHoward3 hr
Apr 16, 10:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFBorden, Scurry30 min
Apr 16, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFHoward60 min
Apr 16, 10:16 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBDickens, Kent29 min
Apr 16, 10:17 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBCrosby, Lubbock28 min
Apr 16, 10:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLUBLynn2 hr
Apr 16, 10:25 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBCrosby, Lubbock35 min
Apr 16, 10:26 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFBorden, Scurry34 min
Apr 16, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCrane, Pecos, Upton60 min
Apr 16, 10:42 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBFloyd, Hale48 min
Apr 16, 10:46 PM CDTTornado WarningLUBDickens, Kent, King, Stonewall44 min
Apr 16, 10:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFGlasscock, Reagan, Upton57 min
Apr 16, 10:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFHoward38 min
Apr 16, 11:02 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTCrockett43 min
Apr 16, 11:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFMitchell66 min
Apr 16, 11:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFScurry33 min
Apr 16, 11:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTIrion, Sterling, Tom Green52 min
Apr 16, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCrockett50 min
Apr 16, 11:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBSwisher26 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

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 161 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2009-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1226 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2009-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 118 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
1226 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-157 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
581 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 11:20 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Baylor, Collingsworth, Gray, Hansford, Hardeman and 8 more115 min
Apr 16, 1:41 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Crosby, Dickens, Donley and 18 more64 min
Apr 16, 2:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArmstrong, Bailey, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress and 38 more7 hr
Apr 16, 3:53 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBorden, Briscoe, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Fisher and 11 more67 min
Apr 16, 5:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAndrews, Borden, Briscoe, Castro, Childress, Coke and 36 more94 min
Apr 16, 6:33 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Bailey, Carson, Cochran, Collingsworth, Dallam and 18 more87 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2009Every tornado watch in 2009

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.