Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2015
Tornado Watch 216
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 25, 2015, 6:24 PM CDT for 9 parishes in Louisiana; 24 counties in Texas. It was in force for 9 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 25, 2015, 6:24 PM CDT (23:24 UTC)
- Expired
- May 26, 2015, 3:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 9 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 33 counties
Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Austin County, TX, Bee County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Goliad County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Live Oak County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Refugio County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Victoria County, TX, Waller County, TX, Wharton County, TX
The radar
The Houston radar (KHGX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:26 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 50%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 20%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 70%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 20%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 30%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 10%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 95%
Warnings issued inside it
60 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 6:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado, Washington | 24 min |
| May 25, 7:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Colorado, Grimes, Waller and 1 more | 6 hr |
| May 25, 7:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado, Waller, Washington | 49 min |
| May 25, 7:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin, Grimes, Harris, Montgomery, Walker, Waller and 1 more | 62 min |
| May 25, 7:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Grimes, Harris, Montgomery, Walker, Waller | 25 min |
| May 25, 7:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado, Waller, Washington | 47 min |
| May 25, 8:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity | 35 min |
| May 25, 8:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Tyler | 64 min |
| May 25, 8:31 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Harris, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker | 3 hr |
| May 25, 8:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Hardin | 28 min |
| May 25, 8:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado, Grimes, Harris, Montgomery, Waller | 3 hr |
| May 25, 8:36 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Hardin, Tyler | 3 hr |
| May 25, 8:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Waller | 64 min |
| May 25, 8:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris | 30 min |
| May 25, 8:54 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, San Jacinto | 3 hr |
| May 25, 8:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Hardin | 65 min |
| May 25, 9:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Jasper, Newton | 54 min |
| May 25, 9:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Waller, Washington, Wharton | 51 min |
| May 25, 9:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Jasper, Newton | 3 hr |
| May 25, 9:11 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Chambers, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto | 3 hr |
| May 25, 9:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris | 47 min |
| May 25, 9:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | CRP | Live Oak, McMullen | 28 min |
| May 25, 9:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LCH | Jasper, Tyler | 22 min |
| May 25, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CRP | Bee, Goliad | 47 min |
| May 25, 9:34 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LCH | Tyler | 14 min |
| May 25, 9:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris, Waller | 64 min |
| May 25, 9:41 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LCH | Newton | 9 min |
| May 25, 9:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Beauregard, Vernon | 31 min |
| May 25, 9:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | CRP | Live Oak | 17 min |
| May 25, 9:47 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Beauregard, Calcasieu, Vernon | 3 hr |
| May 25, 9:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LCH | Beauregard | 23 min |
| May 25, 9:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CRP | Live Oak | 50 min |
| May 25, 10:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | CRP | Goliad, Victoria | 37 min |
| May 25, 10:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | CRP | Bee, Live Oak | 28 min |
| May 25, 10:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Beauregard, Calcasieu, Rapides, Vernon | 56 min |
| May 25, 10:20 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | CRP | Bee, Live Oak | 3 hr |
| May 25, 10:31 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Calcasieu | 4 hr |
| May 25, 10:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | CRP | Bee, Live Oak | 35 min |
| May 25, 10:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CRP | Goliad, Victoria | 47 min |
| May 25, 10:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CRP | Live Oak | 26 min |
| May 25, 10:52 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris | 113 min |
| May 25, 10:55 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | CRP | Goliad, Victoria | 3 hr |
| May 25, 10:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Rapides | 31 min |
| May 25, 11:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CRP | Bee | 37 min |
| May 25, 11:11 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Waller, Wharton | 2 hr |
| May 25, 11:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Hardin, Tyler | 3 hr |
| May 25, 11:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LCH | Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and 4 more | 91 min |
| May 25, 11:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CRP | Bee, Goliad, Refugio | 44 min |
| May 25, 11:40 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris | 3 hr |
| May 25, 11:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Jackson | 45 min |
| May 26, 12:11 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Jasper, Newton | 2 hr |
| May 26, 12:35 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris | 115 min |
| May 26, 12:36 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Jackson, Matagorda, Wharton | 3 hr |
| May 26, 12:58 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Matagorda, Wharton | 47 min |
| May 26, 1:25 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Wharton | 95 min |
| May 26, 1:41 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris | 49 min |
| May 26, 2:21 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Harris | 114 min |
| May 26, 2:28 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Fort Bend, Wharton | 47 min |
| May 26, 2:30 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty and 2 more | 3 hr |
| May 26, 2:31 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LCH | Calcasieu, Cameron | 3 hr |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 249 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 983 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -106 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 977 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 120 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 123 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 3.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
350 WWUS20 KWNS 252321 SEL6 SPC WW 252321 LAZ000-TXZ000-CWZ000-260700- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 216 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 620 PM CDT MON MAY 25 2015 THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA THE TEXAS GULF COASTAL PLAIN COASTAL WATERS * EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 620 PM UNTIL 200 AM CDT. * PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE... A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH LIKELY ISOLATED LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE SUMMARY...SQUALL LINE NOW MOVING TOWARD THE TX GULF COASTAL PLAIN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE GENERALLY E THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...WITH SOME SOUTHWARD DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE OVER TIME. MORE ISOLATED STORMS MAY FORM IN THE VERY MOIST LOW-LEVEL FLOW AHEAD OF THE LINE. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WIND AND POSSIBLY A FEW TORNADOES...IN ADDITION TO A FEW INSTANCES OF SEVERE HAIL. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 100 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF VICTORIA TEXAS TO 35 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF FORT POLK LOUISIANA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6). PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. && OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 212...WW 213...WW 214...WW 215... AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 600. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035. ...CORFIDI
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 7:42 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson and 18 more | 93 min |
| May 25, 2:38 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Orleans, Saint Tammany, Washington | 3 hr |
| May 25, 5:15 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto and 11 more | 90 min |
| May 25, 5:51 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto and 11 more | 6 hr |
| May 25, 6:06 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron | 54 min |
| May 24, 7:57 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Hemphill, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Roberts | 93 min |
| May 24, 8:24 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Hansford, Lipscomb, Ochiltree | 5 hr |
| May 25, 3:17 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bandera, Coke, Crane, Crockett, Ector, Edwards and 21 more | 4 hr |
| May 25, 6:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Andrews, Borden, Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman and 34 more | 6 hr |
| May 25, 6:50 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Andrews, Borden, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Crosby and 26 more | 55 min |
| May 25, 7:53 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Frio and 8 more | 2 hr |
| May 25, 9:02 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet and 27 more | 7 hr |
| May 25, 10:13 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Archer, Baylor, Bell, Bosque, Brown and 69 more | 2 hr |
| May 25, 10:54 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Archer, Baylor, Bell, Bosque, Brown, Callahan and 55 more | 7 hr |
| May 25, 11:37 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet and 26 more | 113 min |
| May 25, 1:54 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bell, Bosque, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Coryell and 26 more | 2 hr |
| May 25, 2:10 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos, Burleson and 26 more | 95 min |
| May 25, 2:35 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Austin, Bowie, Brazos, Burleson, Camp and 34 more | 55 min |
| May 25, 2:52 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Anderson, Angelina, Bastrop, Blanco, Bowie, Brazos and 53 more | 8 hr |
| May 25, 3:19 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio and 9 more | 56 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Texas, 2015Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2015Every tornado watch 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.