Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 558

April 16, 20125 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 16, 2012, 5:50 AM CDT for 5 counties in Texas. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 16, 2012, 5:50 AM CDT (10:50 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 2012, 6:45 AM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Aransas County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Nueces County, TX, Refugio County, TX, San Patricio County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:49 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 00:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 59 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2012-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3768 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 00:00Z on 2012-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
3768 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1113 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

563 
ACUS11 KWNS 161050
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 161050 
TXZ000-161145-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0558
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0550 AM CDT MON APR 16 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...MIDDLE TX COAST

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH POSSIBLE 

VALID 161050Z - 161145Z

A MARGINAL TORNADO THREAT MAY EXIST FOR A FEW HOURS ACROSS THE
MIDDLE TX COAST EARLY THIS MORNING. HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS MAY
ALSO OCCUR. ALTHOUGH THE THREATS SHOULD REMAIN ISOLATED...WW
ISSUANCE CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. FOR THE OUTLOOK AT 13Z...A SLIGHT
RISK UPGRADE IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE LOWER TO MIDDLE TX COAST. 

A SUPERCELL ONGOING TO THE NORTHWEST OF PORT ARANSAS IS LOCATED ON A
SFC FRONT WHERE MESOANALYSIS SHOWS ENHANCED LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE.
THE STORM IS BEING SUPPORTED BY A SHORTWAVE TROUGH EVIDENT IN WATER
VAPOR IMAGERY MOVING NEWD INTO THE WRN GULF OF MEXICO. CONCERNING
THE AIRMASS ON THE TX COAST...MODERATE INSTABILITY EXISTS WITH
MLCAPE OF ABOUT 1500 J/KG WITH WSR-88D VWPS ESTIMATING 0-6 KM SHEAR
OF 35 TO 45 KT. THIS ENVIRONMENT WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELL STRUCTURED
STORMS WITH A HAIL AND ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE THREAT. THE LOW-LEVEL
SHEAR MAY JUST BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR A BRIEF TORNADO OR TWO. THE
THREAT MAY CONTINUE FOR A FEW MORE HOURS AS THE STORMS PARALLEL THE
IMMEDIATE TX COAST.

..BROYLES.. 04/16/2012

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

ATTN...WFO...HGX...CRP...

LAT...LON   27909644 27539695 27449728 27589758 27959772 28539731
            28769668 28729602 28169615 27909644

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 8:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAransas, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Goliad and 10 more7 hr
Apr 16, 12:06 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAransas, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, DeWitt and 14 more84 min
Apr 16, 2:23 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Willacy67 min
Apr 16, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCameron, Hidalgo, Kenedy, Willacy4 hr

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.