Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

May 4, 2015Pecos County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2015, 6:39 PM CDT for Pecos County, Texas. It was in force for 51 min. 3 reports 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 4, 2015, 6:39 PM CDT (23:39 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2015, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
2.5 in

County Pecos County, TX

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 149 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:40 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 4, 6:50 PM CDTHAIL 1.524 W Fort Stockton, TXGOLF BALL TO PING PONG BALL COVERING THE GROUND
May 4, 7:13 PM CDTHAIL 1.7519 W Fort Stockton, TXHAIL REPORTED ALONG 1-10 AT EXIT 237
May 4, 7:32 PM CDTHAIL 1.510 W Fort Stockton, TXAT THE INTERSECTION IF I-10 AND HIGHWAY 67

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 4, 2:07 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 2015-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 419 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2015-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 128 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
419 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-200 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1214 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

070 
WFUS54 KMAF 042339
TORMAF
TXC371-050030-
/O.NEW.KMAF.TO.W.0004.150504T2339Z-150505T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
639 PM CDT MON MAY 4 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIDLAND HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL PECOS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 636 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A       
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 11 MILES WEST OF FIRESTONE TEST TRACK 20 MILES 
  WEST OF FORT STOCKTON ALONG I-10...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 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...
  FIRESTONE TEST TRACK AROUND 705 PM CDT.
  BELDING AROUND 730 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 3104 10333 3106 10331 3109 10309 3096 10302
      3070 10298 3072 10327 3085 10339
TIME...MOT...LOC 2338Z 312DEG 15KT 3095 10327

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

$$
1 follow-up statement
181 
WWUS54 KMAF 050008
SVSMAF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
708 PM CDT MON MAY 4 2015

TXC371-050030-
/O.CON.KMAF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-150505T0030Z/
PECOS TX-
708 PM CDT MON MAY 4 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL PECOS COUNTY
UNTIL 730 PM CDT...

AT 705 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 
WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FIRESTONE TEST TRACK...7 MILES WEST 
OF FORT STOCKTON AND ALONG I-10 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 238 AND 250...AND 
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 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...
  BELDING AROUND 730 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT TAKE SHELTER UNDER HIGHWAY OVERPASSES. AS A LAST
RESORT...PARK YOUR VEHICLE AND STAY PUT.

&&

LAT...LON 3101 10330 3102 10309 3096 10302 3070 10298
      3072 10327 3085 10339
TIME...MOT...LOC 0007Z 312DEG 15KT 3089 10317

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

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 7:01 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAF44 min
May 3, 7:02 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFBrewster43 min
May 3, 7:37 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFGaines38 min
May 3, 8:09 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFGaines66 min
May 4, 2:49 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFMidland26 min
May 4, 2:55 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFReeves35 min
May 4, 3:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFGaines23 min
May 4, 3:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFJeff Davis, Reeves61 min
May 4, 3:50 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFLoving25 min
May 4, 3:53 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFCulberson22 min
May 4, 3:54 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFJeff Davis, Reeves51 min
May 4, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFLoving, Reeves44 min
May 4, 4:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCulberson, Reeves28 min
May 4, 4:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFReeves50 min
May 4, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFLoving, Reeves44 min
May 4, 4:58 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMAFGaines32 min
May 4, 5:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFPecos, Reeves63 min
May 4, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFGaines61 min
May 4, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFLoving25 min
May 4, 5:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMAFGaines3 hr
May 4, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCulberson54 min
May 4, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFPecos, Reeves45 min
May 4, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFCulberson51 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.