Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Fort Worth, TX

April 23, 2011Wise County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 23, 2011, 6:40 PM CDT for Wise County, Texas. It was in force for 50 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Apr 23, 2011, 6:40 PM CDT (23:40 UTC)
Expired: Apr 23, 2011, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Wise County, TX

The radar

The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:39 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 23, 3:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 62 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1649 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -297 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 250 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 321 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

384 
WFUS54 KFWD 232340
TORFWD
TXC497-240030-
/O.NEW.KFWD.TO.W.0011.110423T2340Z-110424T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
640 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WISE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 639 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 3 MILES EAST OF BRIDGEPORT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  15 MPH. VERY LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM AS WELL.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  DECATUR AROUND 655 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOVE TO AN INTERIOR BATHROOM...CLOSET...OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF YOUR BUILDING. COVER YOURSELF WITH BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR A
MATTRESS FOR PROTECTION.

&&

LAT...LON 3343 9755 3343 9738 3332 9738 3320 9739
      3311 9774 3329 9783 3344 9762 3344 9755
TIME...MOT...LOC 2339Z 238DEG 14KT 3322 9769

$$

3 follow-up statements

785 
WWUS54 KFWD 232349
SVSFWD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
649 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

TXC497-240030-
/O.CON.KFWD.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-110424T0030Z/
WISE TX-
649 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
WISE COUNTY...

AT 649 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
DEVELOPING TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR DECATUR...MOVING
EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL WISE COUNTY AT 700 PM CDT
  RURAL EASTERN WISE COUNTY AT 710 PM CDT

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY
WITH THIS STORM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3344 9755 3343 9755 3343 9738 3320 9739
      3311 9774 3326 9781 3344 9762
TIME...MOT...LOC 2349Z 248DEG 17KT 3325 9762

$$

571 
WWUS54 KFWD 232358
SVSFWD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
658 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

TXC497-240030-
/O.CON.KFWD.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-110424T0030Z/
WISE TX-
658 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN WISE COUNTY...

AT 658 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
DEVELOPING TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR DECATUR...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL WISE COUNTY AT 710 PM CDT
  RURAL EASTERN WISE COUNTY AT 730 PM CDT

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO TORNADOES...BASEBALL HAIL OR LARGER AND DAMAGING 
WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3344 9755 3343 9755 3343 9738 3320 9739
      3316 9765 3327 9774 3344 9762
TIME...MOT...LOC 2358Z 246DEG 13KT 3324 9762

$$

262 
WWUS54 KFWD 240009
SVSFWD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
709 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

TXC497-240030-
/O.CON.KFWD.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-110424T0030Z/
WISE TX-
709 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN WISE COUNTY...

AT 709 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
DEVELOPING TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR DECATUR...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL WISE COUNTY AT 720 PM CDT
  RURAL EASTERN WISE COUNTY AT 730 PM CDT

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO TORNADOES...HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE AND DAMAGING 
WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
SATURDAY EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN TEXAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3343 9738 3320 9739 3316 9765 3327 9769
      3343 9756
TIME...MOT...LOC 0009Z 246DEG 13KT 3326 9758

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Apr 23, 3:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 3:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
330 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

.DISCUSSION...
A COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO THE EXTREME NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE
FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. AS OF 20Z...THE FRONT EXTENDED
SOUTHEAST OF AN ADA OKLAHOMA...WICHITA FALLS...THROCKMORTON...
SWEETWATER LINE. LOCAL CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS INDICATE THAT THE
CONVECTIVE INHIBITION IS DECREASING AND SATELLITE SHOWS BUILDING
CUMULUS FIELDS. EXPECT THUNDERSTORM INITIATION ALONG THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY BETWEEN 21Z AND 22Z. THE MEAN STORM MOTION SHOULD BE EAST
NORTHEAST AT 30 KNOTS. GIVEN THE SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER
80S TO LOWER 90S...DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S...AND CAPES
3000-4000 J/KG...EXPECT THE POTENTIAL FOR VERY LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. THE
HIGH RESOLUTION RAPID REFRESH MODEL...NAM...AND WRF INDICATE THAT
THE FRONT WILL APPROACH THE METROPLEX BEFORE STALLING...WHEREAS
THE GFS KEEPS THE FRONT TO THE NORTHWEST. HAVE BROUGHT THE FRONT
TO NEAR THE METROPLEX TONIGHT...AND THEN LIFTED IT SLIGHTLY TO THE
NORTHWEST TOWARD DAYBREAK. EXPECT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO
CONTINUE OVERNIGHT ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT.

THE FRONT SHOULD MOVE SOUTHEAST AGAIN SUNDAY MAYBE MOVING TO NEAR
A BONHAM...DALLAS... COMANCHE LINE BEFORE BECOMING QUASI-
STATIONARY ONCE AGAIN. THE FRONT WILL LIFT BACK NORTHWARD LATE
SUNDAY NIGHT. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. THERE
WILL BE A POTENTIAL FOR SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN...WITH
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AFTERWARD...EXPECT THE MEAN UPPER
TROUGH TO MOVE EAST...WITH DRY WEATHER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY.

58

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX  70  84  70  86  66 /  50  40  40  30  30
WACO, TX              72  89  72  89  67 /  20  20  20  20  20
PARIS, TX             68  83  66  82  63 /  40  40  40  50  40
DENTON, TX            66  81  68  86  61 /  60  50  40  30  30
MCKINNEY, TX          68  83  70  83  63 /  50  40  40  30  40
DALLAS, TX            69  86  71  87  67 /  50  40  40  30  30
TERRELL, TX           71  84  69  84  67 /  30  30  30  30  40
CORSICANA, TX         72  88  70  88  68 /  20  20  20  30  30
TEMPLE, TX            71  87  71  87  67 /  20  20  20  20  20
MINERAL WELLS, TX     64  83  67  91  58 /  60  50  40  20  20

&&

.FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

84/58

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 3:16 PM CDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
316 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-241145-
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-
316 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM
COMANCHE TO CLEBURNE TO SULPHUR SPRINGS.

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE
NORTHWESTERN TWO THIRDS OF NORTH TEXAS. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY
BECOME
SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS THE PRIMARY
HAZARDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON.
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL REMAIN.

THE DRY LINE MAY REACH THE I-35 CORRIDOR TUESDAY...RESULTING IN
STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT
ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE
EVENING HOURS...PRIMARILY NORTH OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:04 PM CDT, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
604 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

..TIME..    ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0603 PM     HAIL             LINDSAY                 33.65N  97.23W
04/23/2011  E2.75 INCH       COOKE              TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BASEBALL HAIL IN LINDSAY

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:07 PM CDT, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
607 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

..TIME..    ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0606 PM     HAIL             GAINESVILLE             33.63N  97.15W
04/23/2011  E1.75 INCH       COOKE              TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN GAINESVILLE

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:08 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
608 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

..TIME..    ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0605 PM     HAIL             4 NNE LINDSAY           33.70N  97.20W
04/23/2011  E2.50 INCH       COOKE              TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TENNIS BALL HAIL REPORTED 4 MILES NNE OF LINDSAY

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:12 PM CDT, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
612 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

..TIME..    ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0611 PM     HAIL             SUNSET                  33.45N  97.77W
04/23/2011  E0.88 INCH       MONTAGUE           TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NICKEL SIZE HAIL IN SUNSET

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:19 PM CDT, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
619 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

..TIME..    ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0618 PM     HAIL             SUNSET                  33.45N  97.77W
04/23/2011  E1.25 INCH       MONTAGUE           TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL IN SUNSET

Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:36 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
636 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011

..TIME..    ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0635 PM     HAIL             2 N GAINESVILLE         33.66N  97.15W
04/23/2011  E3.00 INCH       COOKE              TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ORANGE SIZE HAIL 2 NORTH OF GAINESVILLE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 22, 7:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Montague	55 min
Apr 22, 8:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Montague	27 min
Apr 23, 10:52 AM CDT	Wind Advisory	FWD	Bell, Bosque, Collin, Coryell, Dallas, Denton and 13 more	4 hr
Apr 23, 4:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Cooke, Montague	67 min
Apr 23, 5:11 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FWD	Palo Pinto	34 min
Apr 23, 5:20 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FWD	Wise	25 min
Apr 23, 5:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Palo Pinto	62 min
Apr 23, 5:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Jack, Montague, Wise	59 min
Apr 23, 5:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Eastland, Erath, Palo Pinto, Stephens	54 min
Apr 23, 5:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Cooke, Grayson	61 min
Apr 23, 5:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FWD	Cooke, Grayson	54 min
Apr 23, 5:55 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FWD	Comanche	35 min
Apr 23, 6:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Comanche, Eastland, Erath	55 min
Apr 23, 6:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Stephens	38 min
Apr 23, 6:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Jack, Palo Pinto, Parker	66 min
Apr 23, 6:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Cooke, Denton, Montague, Wise	62 min
Apr 23, 6:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FWD	Cooke, Grayson	49 min
Apr 23, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Jack, Wise	40 min
Apr 23, 6:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Comanche, Eastland, Erath, Hood	61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes 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.