Alert archive / Oklahoma / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 642

May 1, 20124 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 1, 2012, 1:19 AM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 56 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 2012, 1:19 AM CDT (06:19 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2012, 2:15 AM CDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 40 counties

Benton County, AR, Carroll County, AR, Washington County, AR, Cherokee County, KS, Labette County, KS, Montgomery County, KS, Barry County, MO, Jasper County, MO, Lawrence County, MO, McDonald County, MO, Newton County, MO, Adair County, OK, Carter County, OK, Cherokee County, OK, Cleveland County, OK, Craig County, OK, Creek County, OK, Delaware County, OK, Garvin County, OK, Hughes County, OK, Jefferson County, OK, Johnston County, OK, Lincoln County, OK, Mayes County, OK, McClain County, OK, McIntosh County, OK, Murray County, OK, Muskogee County, OK, Nowata County, OK, Okfuskee County, OK, Okmulgee County, OK, Ottawa County, OK, Pontotoc County, OK, Pottawatomie County, OK, Rogers County, OK, Seminole County, OK, Stephens County, OK, Tulsa County, OK, Wagoner County, OK, Washington County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:20 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

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 6.3 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2012-05-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2178 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2012-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 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
2178 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1251 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
10.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

451 
ACUS11 KWNS 010619
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 010619 
MOZ000-ARZ000-OKZ000-KSZ000-TXZ000-010715-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0642
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0119 AM CDT TUE MAY 01 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...CENTRAL AND ERN OK/SERN KS/SWRN MO/NWRN AR

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 214...215...

VALID 010619Z - 010715Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 214...215...CONTINUES.

TORNADO POTENTIAL HAS DECREASED OVER THE PAST 1-2 HOURS...WITH
STORMS NOW ORGANIZED IN A MUCH MORE LINEAR FASHION.  ATTM...A
COMPLEX LINE OF STORMS EXTENDS FROM SWRN MO/NERN OK/SERN KS SWWD
INTO S CENTRAL OK...WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS NOW OVER NERN OK WHERE
A FAST-MOVING BOW ECHO CONTINUES MOVING EWD TOWARD SWRN MO/NWRN AR.

AT ITS CURRENT EWD SPEED OF AROUND 50 KT...THIS BOW WILL BE EXITING
THE STRONGER INSTABILITY AXIS IN THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS.  THUS...IT
REMAINS UNCERTAIN WHETHER A NEW/DOWNSTREAM WW WILL BE REQUIRED AFTER
THE 01/07Z EXPIRATION OF WW 214/215.

..GOSS.. 05/01/2012

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

ATTN...WFO...SGF...TSA...ICT...FWD...OUN...

LAT...LON   37469363 36409350 35719393 35569532 34939608 34029678
            33899813 34459824 35589719 36059641 37169602 37469363

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 7:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBenton, Washington7 hr
May 1, 1:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBenton, Carroll, Madison, Washington3 hr
Apr 30, 8:55 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Barber, Bourbon, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee and 17 more65 min
Apr 30, 11:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford and 7 more92 min
Apr 30, 9:51 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCaddo, Canadian, Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton and 19 more4 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Oklahoma, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Missouri, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Arkansas, 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.