Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 367

March 29, 201718 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 29, 2017, 8:23 AM CDT for 18 counties in Texas. It was in force for 67 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 29, 2017, 8:23 AM CDT (13:23 UTC)
Expired
Mar 29, 2017, 9:30 AM CDT
In force
67 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
40%

Counties Brazoria County, TX, Calhoun County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Waller County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:24 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 238 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2017-03-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 451 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2017-03-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 162 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
451 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-384 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
879 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
162 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

588 
ACUS11 KWNS 291323
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 291323 
TXZ000-291430-

Mesoscale Discussion 0367
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0823 AM CDT Wed Mar 29 2017

Areas affected...Southeast Texas

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 291323Z - 291430Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...An isolated severe threat is expected to move across
southeast Texas over the next few hours. A few damaging wind gusts
and perhaps a brief tornado may occur with short bowing line
segments. However threat threat should remain marginal for WW
issuance.

DISCUSSION...The latest radar imagery shows a continuous line of
thunderstorms located from about 40 statute miles west of Houston
extending south southwestward to the vicinity of Victoria. The line
appears to be located along an old outflow boundary. Ahead of this
line, a moist airmass is present with surface dewpoints in the upper
60s F with moderate instability in place (MLCAPE of 1000 to 1500
J/kg). The line of storms is being supported by a subtle shortwave
trough moving around an upper-level low in the southern high Plains
and this will help maintain the line as it moves across the
remainder of southeast Texas over the next few hours. Concerning the
environment, the Houston WSR-88D VWP shows substantial directional
shear in the boundary layer with ample speed shear above 2 km AGL.
This is resulting in about 70 kt of 0-6 km shear suggesting storm
organization will be possible with this convection. The current
thinking is that this line will continue to have an isolated severe
threat and that a few damaging wind gusts will occur as the line
moves across the Houston area. A brief tornado can also not be ruled
out but low-level shear appears to be marginal for a more sustained
tornado threat.

..Broyles/Guyer.. 03/29/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...LCH...HGX...CRP...

LAT...LON   30879545 29429642 28599715 28199652 28089572 29609410
            30859382 30879545

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 28, 7:45 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Crosby, Deaf Smith and 9 more60 min
Mar 28, 9:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBandera, Bexar, Blanco, Brown, Burnet, Callahan and 37 more23 min
Mar 28, 9:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAtascosa, Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque and 78 more8 hr
Mar 28, 10:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArcher, Baylor, Clay, Wichita, Wilbarger7 hr
Mar 28, 10:25 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Clay, Cooke, Montague, Wichita65 min
Mar 28, 11:58 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque and 29 more92 min
Mar 29, 2:54 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCollin, Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hopkins and 7 more96 min
Mar 29, 1:31 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jasper and 7 more2 hr
Mar 29, 2:11 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson and 6 more7 hr
Mar 29, 4:17 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBowie, Cass, Morris8 hr
Mar 29, 5:50 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJasper, Newton, Orange115 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Texas, 2017Every mesoscale discussion in 2017

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.