Alert archive / Kansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 918

May 26, 201218 counties in Kansas; Beaver County, Oklahoma

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 26, 2012, 9:35 PM CDT for 18 counties in Kansas; Beaver County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 85 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 2012, 9:35 PM CDT (02:35 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 2012, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
85 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
40%

Counties Clark County, KS, Edwards County, KS, Finney County, KS, Ford County, KS, Gove County, KS, Grant County, KS, Gray County, KS, Haskell County, KS, Hodgeman County, KS, Lane County, KS, Logan County, KS, Meade County, KS, Ness County, KS, Pawnee County, KS, Scott County, KS, Seward County, KS, Stevens County, KS, Trego County, KS, Beaver County, OK

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:36 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

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 65 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2012-05-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1172 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2012-05-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 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
1172 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2320 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
258 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

603 
ACUS11 KWNS 270236
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 270235
KSZ000-OKZ000-TXZ000-270400-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0918
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0935 PM CDT SAT MAY 26 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...SWRN KS THROUGH THE TX AND OK PANHANDLES

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH POSSIBLE

VALID 270235Z - 270400Z

PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...40 PERCENT

SUMMARY...STORMS MOVING INTO SWRN KS AND THE OK/TX PANHANDLES HAVE
SHOWN A RECENT INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND ORGANIZATION AND POSE A
THREAT FOR ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL. CURRENT THINKING
IS THAT STORMS MAY POSE A SEVERE RISK UNTIL 04Z OR 05Z BEFORE A
DECREASING TREND IS ESTABLISHED. IF STORMS CONTINUE TO ORGANIZE...A
WW MIGHT BE REQUIRED.

DISCUSSION...STORMS HAVE ORGANIZED INTO A LINE ALONG A CONSOLIDATING
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM SWRN KS INTO THE TX/OK PANHANDLES. ACTIVITY IS
MOVING TOWARD A MORE UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT WITH MLCAPE FROM 1000-1500
J/KG. SLY LLJ HAS STRENGTHENED TO 50 KT WHICH WILL ENHANCE
CONVERGENCE AND MESOSCALE ASCENT ALONG LEADING OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY...HELPING TO SUSTAIN A FORWARD PROPAGATING SYSTEM.
HOWEVER...CONVECTIVE INHIBITION WILL INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY AS THE
BOUNDARY LAYER STABILIZES WITH ONSET OF NOCTURNAL COOLING WHICH
INCREASES UNCERTAINTY REGARDING LONGEVITY OF THE SEVERE THREAT.
EXPECTATION IS THAT SEVERE THREAT WILL PROBABLY PERSIST FOR AT LEAST
A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE STORMS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY THE
INCREASINGLY HOSTILE THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT.

..DIAL/HART.. 05/27/2012

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

ATTN...WFO...OUN...DDC...GLD...AMA...

LAT...LON   37120140 39020120 39260010 38269907 36799996 36310130
            37120140

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 3:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarber, Barton, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Edwards and 22 more95 min
May 27, 3:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarber, Barton, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Edwards and 28 more8 hr
May 27, 6:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarber, Barton, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Edwards and 17 more88 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Kansas, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Oklahoma, 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.