Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 18, 2015Loving County, Reeves County, Ward County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2015, 5:36 PM CDT for Loving County, Reeves County, Ward County, Texas. It was in force for 24 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 18, 2015, 5:36 PM CDT (22:36 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 2015, 6:00 PM CDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 2.5 in

Counties Loving County, TX, Reeves County, TX, Ward County, TX

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:37 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 18, 5:45 PM CDT	HAIL 1	5 Se Pecos, TX	HAIL UP TO 1 FOOT DEEP COVERING US 285 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PECOS WITH NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 18, 2:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 118 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 290 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -219 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1231 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

153 
WFUS54 KMAF 182236
TORMAF
TXC301-389-475-182300-
/O.NEW.KMAF.TO.W.0012.150518T2236Z-150518T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
536 PM CDT MON MAY 18 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIDLAND HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN LOVING COUNTY IN WEST TEXAS...
  EAST CENTRAL REEVES COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS...
  WESTERN WARD COUNTY IN WEST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 532 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR TOYAH LAKE...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5
  MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL.

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
           TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE DAMAGE IS
           LIKELY.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  PECOS AROUND 550 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3172 10346 3168 10333 3165 10332 3165 10321
      3164 10319 3125 10337 3130 10357
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 220DEG 5KT 3135 10344

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...2.50IN

$$

STROBIN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 3:02 PM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	MAF	Andrews, Borden, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Gaines and 12 more	22 hr
May 18, 3:49 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MAF	Reeves	26 min
May 18, 4:09 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MAF	Loving	36 min
May 18, 4:19 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MAF	Reeves	26 min
May 18, 4:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MAF	Reeves, Ward	52 min
May 18, 5:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MAF	Pecos, Reeves, Ward	38 min
May 18, 5:31 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MAF	Reeves	3 hr
May 18, 5:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MAF	Pecos, Reeves, Ward	27 min
May 18, 6:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MAF	Pecos, Reeves, Ward	47 min
May 18, 6:41 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MAF	Pecos, Reeves	3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2015 Every tornado warning in 2015 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.