Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2011
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 300, NWS Fort Worth, TX
NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2011, 4:12 PM CDT for Dallas County, Tarrant County, Texas. It was in force for 48 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
- May 20, 2011, 4:12 PM CDT (21:12 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 2011, 5:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Fort Worth, TX
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Dallas County, TX, Tarrant County, TX
The radar
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:13 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 12:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 10 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 25 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
- 2657 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -30 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 545 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 129 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 203 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.0
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 2:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 256 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011 .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS REMAINS LARGELY UNCHANGED FROM AREA WEATHER UPDATE FORECAST DISCUSSION /PRODUCT AWUFWD/ ISSUED AROUND 11 AM...SO WILL NOT REHASH THE DETAILS HERE. TO ADD TO THIS DISCUSSION SOUTHERLY FLOW OUT AHEAD OF THE LINE OF TSTMS EXTENDING FROM GAINESVILLE TO NEAR DENTON AND THEN SOUTHWEST TOWARDS WEATHERFORD AND STEPHENVILLE INCREASED TO AROUND 15 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS AS OF 19Z. IF ANY DISCRETE STORMS CAN ORGANIZE EAST OF THIS LINE THIS INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL FLOW SHOULD ENHANCE TORNADO THREAT THROUGH 00Z. THUNDERSTORMS IN GENERAL WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND GROW UPSCALE INTO A MULTICELLULAR LINE AS THEY HAVE BEEN THE PAST HOUR OR SO...BUT WILL BE WATCHING ANY DISCRETE STORMS OUT AHEAD OF THIS LINE CLOSELY THROUGH SUNSET. AFTER SUNSET THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD DIMINISH THE OVERALL TORNADO THREAT ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. OTHERWISE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THRU 8 PM CDT AND ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS WITHIN THE WATCH WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING OUTFLOW WINDS. THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THRU THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THE PASSAGE OF THIS TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO SEND THE LINE OF CONVECTION SOUTHEAST THRU THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT AS WELL AS FORCE THE WEST CENTRAL TX DRYLINE EAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA BEFORE SUNRISE. THE DRYLINE IS EXPECTED TO SET UP JUST WEST OF THE METROPLEX TOMORROW AND SHOULD BECOME MORE DIFFUSE LATER IN THE DAY AS THE LACK OF STRONG SYNOPTIC FORCING WILL ALLOW BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE TO RECOVER DURING THE AFTERNOON HRS. EAST OF THE DRYLINE A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE...HOWEVER ONLY HAVE A MENTION OF 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF STORMS WITH AN ABSENCE OF OBVIOUS FORCING FOR ASCENT WITH THE DRYLINE EXPECTED TO LOSE DEFINITION THROUGHOUT THE DAY. H500 HEIGHT RISES OF 3-4 DM ARE EXPECTED OVER NORTH TX TOMORROW WHICH SHOULD FAVOR WEAK FORCING FOR SUBSIDENCE OVER THE REGION TOMORROW AFTERNOON. IF ANY STORM IS ABLE TO DEVELOP IT WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE WITH OVER 3000 J/KG OF CAPE FORECAST OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS SOMEWHAT MARGINAL...BUT REMAINS SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION...HOWEVER WEAK FORCING FOR SUBSIDENCE IS EXPECTED TO BE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT INITIATION AT THIS TIME. THE DRYLINE IS EXPECTED TO RETREAT NORTHWEST ON SUNDAY AS A WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER NORTH CENTRAL TX LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. GUIDANCE HAS BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING AN MCS WHERE THE LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT BEST INTERSECTS THE DIFFUSE DRYLINE BOUNDARY NEAR WICHITA FALLS. AFTER INITIATION MODELS DEVELOP A STRONG MID LVL POTENTIAL VORTICITY ANOMALY DUE TO STRONG LATENT HEAT RELEASE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MCS. THIS FEATURE PROPAGATES DOWNSTREAM AND INTENSIFIES DUE TO FEEDBACK FOR THE EVENING HRS OVER THE NORTHWESTERN THIRD OF THE CWA. WHILE RAW MODEL OUTPUT IS LIKELY WRONG REGARDING THE HUGE QPF BULLS-EYE GENERATED FROM THIS MCS...THE INITIATION OF AN MCS WHERE THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH INTERACTS WITH THE SFC DRYLINE LOOKS REASONABLE ENOUGH. WENT AHEAD WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF STORMS NORTHWEST OF THE METROPLEX SUNDAY AFTERNOON...EXTENDING SOUTHEAST INTO THE METROPLEX AFTER 00Z FOR SUNDAY EVENING ANTICIPATING THE MCS WILL PROPAGATE SOUTHEAST INTO THE CWA ON A STRONG COLD POOL. EXTENDED...OTHERWISE OUR NEXT BEST CHANCE OF STORMS LOOKS TO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY AS THE NEXT STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE PLAINS. THIS MIDWEEK TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO SEND A COLD FRONT SOUTHEAST THRU NORTH TX WEDNESDAY WHICH WILL LIKELY BE ACCOMPANIED BY SCATTERED TSTMS AS IT MOVES THRU THE FORECAST AREA. BEHIND THIS TROUGH UPPER RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS FOR THE END OF THE WEEK WHICH WILL SUPPORT A DRY FORECAST AT THIS TIME. CAVANAUGH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 68 91 73 87 71 / 40 10 10 20 30 WACO, TX 70 95 74 91 73 / 40 20 20 10 10 PARIS, TX 68 85 69 84 68 / 60 10 10 20 20 DENTON, TX 61 87 72 86 69 / 40 5 10 20 30 MCKINNEY, TX 66 87 72 86 70 / 40 10 10 20 30 DALLAS, TX 70 91 73 86 72 / 40 10 10 20 30 TERRELL, TX 71 89 71 88 70 / 50 10 10 10 20 CORSICANA, TX 73 90 73 89 72 / 60 20 20 10 20 TEMPLE, TX 70 92 73 91 72 / 50 20 20 10 10 MINERAL WELLS, TX 58 90 69 87 70 / 20 5 10 20 30 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 2:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 252 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-211200- MONTAGUE-COOKE-GRAYSON-FANNIN-LAMAR-YOUNG-JACK-WISE-DENTON-COLLIN- HUNT-DELTA-HOPKINS-STEPHENS-PALO PINTO-PARKER-TARRANT-DALLAS- ROCKWALL-KAUFMAN-VAN ZANDT-RAINS-EASTLAND-ERATH-HOOD-SOMERVELL- JOHNSON-ELLIS-HENDERSON-COMANCHE-MILLS-HAMILTON-BOSQUE-HILL-NAVARRO- FREESTONE-ANDERSON-LAMPASAS-CORYELL-BELL-MCLENNAN-FALLS-LIMESTONE- LEON-MILAM-ROBERTSON- 252 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE EASTERN TWO THIRDS OF NORTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THESE STORMS WILL REMAIN CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH SUNSET. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING OUTFLOW WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER HAZARDS. THESE STORMS WILL REMAIN CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT THROUGH SUNSET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. LOW THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE FROM SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ACROSS VARIOUS PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS EACH DAY. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE NEEDED THROUGH SUNSET FOR THE EASTERN TWO THIRDS OF NORTH TEXAS. CAVANAUGH
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 20, 3:33 PM CDT, 39 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 20, 3:42 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 20, 3:43 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
343 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0342 PM HAIL 2 SW FORT WORTH 32.73N 97.36W
05/20/2011 E1.00 INCH TARRANT TX AMATEUR RADIOLocal storm report, May 20, 3:56 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
356 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0352 PM HAIL 2 SSW HURST 32.79N 97.16W
05/20/2011 E0.75 INCH TARRANT TX BROADCAST MEDIA
PENNY SIZE HAIL 2 SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF HURSTSpecial weather statement, May 20, 3:59 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
359 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011
TXZ104-105-120-121-202130-
HUNT TX-KAUFMAN TX-ROCKWALL TX-COLLIN TX-
359 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR...
EASTERN COLLIN COUNTY
HUNT COUNTY
NORTHWESTERN KAUFMAN COUNTY
ROCKWALL COUNTY
AT 359 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF FORNEY...MOVING NORTH AT 65
MPH.
CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE CADDO MILLS...CELESTE...
FARMERSVILLE...FATE...FORNEY...GREENVILLE...HEATH...LOWRY CROSSING...
PRINCETON...ROCKWALL...ROYSE CITY...TERRELL AND WYLIE.
PEA-SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3330 9589 3267 9631 3270 9652 3298 9652
3298 9656 3330 9657
TIME...MOT...LOC 2059Z 201DEG 58KT 3289 9635
42/MMLocal storm report, May 20, 4:02 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
402 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2011
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0401 PM TSTM WND GST FLOWER MOUND 33.03N 97.09W
05/20/2011 E60 MPH DENTON TX PUBLICThe office that day
Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 8:52 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Jack | 23 min |
| May 20, 9:27 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Erath | 33 min |
| May 20, 10:20 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Cooke | 25 min |
| May 20, 10:54 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Lamar | 36 min |
| May 20, 12:07 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Mills | 23 min |
| May 20, 12:32 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Mills | 28 min |
| May 20, 12:36 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Wise | 24 min |
| May 20, 12:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Parker, Wise | 59 min |
| May 20, 1:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Hamilton, Mills | 45 min |
| May 20, 1:48 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Cooke, Denton | 27 min |
| May 20, 2:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Cooke, Denton | 41 min |
| May 20, 2:09 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Dallas | 36 min |
| May 20, 2:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Collin, Dallas | 47 min |
| May 20, 2:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Parker, Tarrant | 44 min |
| May 20, 2:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas | 52 min |
| May 20, 2:40 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Grayson | 35 min |
| May 20, 2:46 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FWD | Cooke, Grayson | 119 min |
| May 20, 2:58 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Hood | 32 min |
| May 20, 3:23 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Fannin | 37 min |
| May 20, 3:25 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Tarrant | 35 min |
| May 20, 3:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Dallas, Tarrant | 30 min |
| May 20, 3:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Anderson, Freestone, Leon | 58 min |
| May 20, 3:59 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Hunt, Rockwall | 31 min |
| May 20, 4:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Collin, Denton | 27 min |
| May 20, 4:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Collin, Fannin, Hunt | 62 min |
| May 20, 4:40 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FWD | Collin, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt | 3 hr |
| May 20, 4:52 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FWD | Dallas, Tarrant | 3 hr |
| May 20, 4:52 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Coryell | 23 min |
| May 20, 5:13 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FWD | Leon | 3 hr |
| May 20, 5:18 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Freestone, Limestone | 27 min |
| May 20, 5:23 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | FWD | Fannin | 3 hr |
| May 20, 5:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Hunt, Rains, Van Zandt | 66 min |
| May 20, 5:26 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | McLennan | 34 min |
| May 20, 5:40 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | FWD | Leon | 6 hr |
| May 20, 5:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Freestone, Limestone | 60 min |
| May 20, 5:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Leon | 66 min |
| May 20, 5:56 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | McLennan | 34 min |
| May 20, 5:57 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Delta, Fannin, Hopkins, Lamar | 33 min |
| May 20, 6:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Kaufman | 58 min |
| May 20, 6:08 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FWD | Anderson, Freestone, Limestone | 3 hr |
| May 20, 6:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Ellis, Navarro | 52 min |
| May 20, 6:26 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FWD | Delta, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Rains | 3 hr |
| May 20, 6:35 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | FWD | Falls | 25 min |
| May 20, 6:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD | Henderson, Kaufman | 57 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2011Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2011
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.