Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Brownsville, TX

April 17, 2015Starr County, Zapata County, Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 2015, 9:23 PM CDT for Starr County, Zapata County, Texas. It was in force for 22 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 17, 2015, 9:23 PM CDT (02:23 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 2015, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Starr County, TX, Zapata County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 192 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:25 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 17, 6:57 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 194 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2015-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2494 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2015-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 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
2494 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
574 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

500 
WFUS54 KBRO 180223
TORBRO
TXC427-505-180245-
/O.NEW.KBRO.TO.W.0002.150418T0223Z-150418T0245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
923 PM CDT FRI APR 17 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE  HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN ZAPATA COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...
  NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTY IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS...

* UNTIL 945 PM CDT
    
* AT 922 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR LOPENO...OR 12 MILES SOUTH OF ZAPATA...AND MOVING EAST AT 45
  MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LOPENO...MORALES-SANCHEZ AND NEW FALCON AROUND 930 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

TORNADOES ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. DO NOT
WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 2699 9897 2692 9895 2679 9895 2678 9893
      2663 9889 2656 9917 2662 9918 2667 9921
      2672 9921 2675 9924 2679 9924 2684 9927
TIME...MOT...LOC 0222Z 264DEG 38KT 2671 9921 

$$

SCHOLL
2 follow-up statements
937 
WWUS54 KBRO 180233
SVSBRO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
933 PM CDT FRI APR 17 2015

TXC427-505-180245-
/O.CON.KBRO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150418T0245Z/
ZAPATA TX-STARR TX-
933 PM CDT FRI APR 17 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN ZAPATA AND NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTIES...
    
AT 932 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED OVER
LOPENO...OR 16 MILES WEST OF VIBORAS...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
SOUTHEASTERN ZAPATA AND NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

TORNADOES ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. DO NOT
WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 2699 9897 2692 9895 2679 9895 2678 9893
      2663 9889 2656 9917 2662 9918 2667 9921
      2672 9921 2675 9924 2679 9924 2684 9927
TIME...MOT...LOC 0232Z 258DEG 39KT 2671 9909 

$$

SCHOLL
253 
WWUS54 KBRO 180238
SVSBRO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
938 PM CDT FRI APR 17 2015

TXC427-505-180245-
/O.CON.KBRO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150418T0245Z/
ZAPATA TX-STARR TX-
938 PM CDT FRI APR 17 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN ZAPATA AND NORTHWESTERN STARR COUNTIES...
    
AT 937 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
LOPENO...OR 11 MILES WEST OF VIBORAS...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
NEW FALCON...LOPENO AND MORALES-SANCHEZ. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

TORNADOES ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. DO NOT
WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 2699 9897 2692 9895 2679 9895 2678 9893
      2663 9889 2658 9909 2685 9917
TIME...MOT...LOC 0237Z 264DEG 38KT 2672 9902 

$$

SCHOLL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROStarr, Zapata58 min
Apr 17, 9:40 PM CDTTornado WarningBROStarr35 min
Apr 17, 9:50 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBROJim Hogg, Starr, Zapata115 min
Apr 17, 9:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg, Starr, Zapata53 min
Apr 17, 10:08 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBROJim Hogg37 min
Apr 17, 10:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROJim Hogg30 min
Apr 17, 10:28 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBROBrooks, Jim Hogg2 hr
Apr 17, 10:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Starr23 min
Apr 17, 11:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo, Kenedy29 min
Apr 17, 11:07 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBROKenedy38 min
Apr 17, 11:10 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningBRO95 min
Apr 17, 11:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementBROKenedy47 min
Apr 18, 8:32 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBROZapata118 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.