Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 683

May 3, 201215 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 3, 2012, 6:21 PM CDT for 15 counties in Texas. It was in force for 114 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 2012, 6:21 PM CDT (23:21 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 2012, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
114 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
40%

Counties Coke County, TX, Crockett County, TX, Fisher County, TX, Haskell County, TX, Irion County, TX, Jones County, TX, Kinney County, TX, Knox County, TX, Maverick County, TX, Nolan County, TX, Sterling County, TX, Stonewall County, TX, Terrell County, TX, Tom Green County, TX, Val Verde County, TX

The radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:20 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 nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 168 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 12:00Z on 2012-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1361 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2012-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 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
1361 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-270 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1722 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
91 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.

865 
ACUS11 KWNS 032321
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 032321 
TXZ000-040115-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0683
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0621 PM CDT THU MAY 03 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...BIG COUNTRY TO THE LOWER PECOS VALLEY OF WRN TX

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH POSSIBLE 

VALID 032321Z - 040115Z

PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...40 PERCENT

SUMMARY...A CLUSTER OF TSTMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE AND
ISOLATED TSTMS MAY FORM FARTHER N ALONG DRYLINE. ALTHOUGH LOW-LEVEL
FLOW IS WEAK...ENHANCED MID-LEVEL SWLYS ATTENDANT TO A MID-LEVEL
IMPULSE CENTERED OVER EL PASO...SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR ORGANIZED
UPDRAFTS WITH A PRIMARY RISK OF LARGE HAIL. UNCERTAINTY OVER STORM
LONGEVITY INTO THE EVENING MAY PRECLUDE A WW ISSUANCE.

DISCUSSION...23Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A DRYLINE FROM HARDEMAN TO
BREWSTER COUNTIES. TSTM CLUSTERS OVER THE MTNS OF COAHUILA HAVE
RECENTLY SHIFTED ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE. DFX VAD WIND PROFILE DEPICTS
VERY WEAK WINDS THROUGH THE LOWEST 6 KM AGL...BUT SWLYS AOA 30 KT
EXIST AOA 7 KM. GIVEN PRESENCE OF STRONG INSTABILITY WITH MLCAPE OF
2500-4000 J/KG...MODIFIED RAP SOUNDINGS SUGGEST EFFECTIVE SHEAR IS
AROUND 30 KT. THIS WILL SUPPORT A RISK FOR LARGE HAIL WITHIN THE
STRONGER CORES THAT MOVE ACROSS THE BORDER. FARTHER N...TCU/SMALL
CBS HAVE FORMED ACROSS FISHER/STONEWELL COUNTIES. JAYTON TX PROFILER
INDICATES MODERATE SWLYS EXTENDING THROUGH THE MID-LEVELS. THE
COMBINATION OF STRONG INSTABILITY WITH EFFECTIVE SHEAR WILL SUPPORT
A RISK FOR MARGINAL SUPERCELL STRUCTURES HERE AS WELL. THE LONGEVITY
OF STORMS INTO THE EVENING IS UNCERTAIN AS MLCIN INCREASES WITH THE
ONSET OF NOCTURNAL COOLING.

..GRAMS.. 05/03/2012

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

ATTN...WFO...OUN...EWX...SJT...LUB...MAF...

LAT...LON   29640278 30730192 32330080 33620004 33949966 33929927
            33309936 31620026 30320092 29220030 28780023 28620043
            29640151 29640278

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.