Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 11

January 9, 20129 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jan 9, 2012, 7:09 PM CST for 9 counties in Texas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 9, 2012, 7:09 PM CST (01:09 UTC)
Expired
Jan 9, 2012, 10:15 PM CST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Borden County, TX, Dawson County, TX, Fisher County, TX, Gaines County, TX, Howard County, TX, Martin County, TX, Mitchell County, TX, Nolan County, TX, Scurry County, TX

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:08 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

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 00:00Z on 2012-01-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2012-01-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 182 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
498 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
182 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
206 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

547 
ACUS11 KWNS 100110
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 100109
TXZ000-100415-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0011
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0709 PM CST MON JAN 09 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...PARTS OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS INTO NORTHWEST
TEXAS

CONCERNING...HEAVY SNOW

VALID 100109Z - 100415Z

THE MID-LEVEL LOW IS IN THE PROCESS OF REDEVELOPING EASTWARD ACROSS
THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS/TRANSPECOS REGION INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.
AS THIS OCCURS...STRONGEST MID-LEVEL FORCING FOR UPWARD VERTICAL
MOTION...IN THE FAVORABLE MIXED PHASED LAYER FOR DENDRITIC ICE
CRYSTAL GROWTH...IS EXPECTED TO PIVOT TO A MORE EAST-WEST
ORIENTATION IN THE VICINITY OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR...NEAR OR JUST
NORTH OF MIDLAND INTO THE SWEETWATER AREA...DURING THE NEXT FEW
HOURS.  GIVEN RELATIVELY HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER ON THE ORDER OF .5
TO .75 INCHES...HEAVY SNOW RATES IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH PER HOUR APPEAR
TO REMAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH THE 03-04Z TIME FRAME.  THEREAFTER...THE
EASTERN END OF THIS BAND MAY CONTINUE TO PIVOT/REDEVELOP NORTHWARD
INTO AREAS SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA FALLS...WHERE COOLING MAY NOT BE
SUFFICIENT FOR SNOW.  THIS ...COUPLED WITH WEAKENING LIFT IN THE
RESIDUAL SUBFREEZING ENVIRONMENT TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST...IS
EXPECTED TO RESULT IN DIMINISHING SNOW RATES AND A GRADUAL
DISSIPATION OF THE SNOW BAND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

..KERR.. 01/10/2012

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...SJT...LUB...MAF...

LAT...LON   32930262 33140220 33170052 32789995 32110007 31890067
            32100151 32270252 32670272 32930262

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Texas, 2012Every mesoscale discussion in 2012

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.