Alert archive / Arkansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 608

April 30, 201716 counties in Arkansas; 9 parishes in Louisiana

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 30, 2017, 3:36 AM CDT for 16 counties in Arkansas; 9 parishes in Louisiana. It was in force for 84 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 30, 2017, 3:36 AM CDT (08:36 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 2017, 5:00 AM CDT
In force
84 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 25 counties

Arkansas County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Desha County, AR, Drew County, AR, Independence County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Prairie County, AR, Union County, AR, White County, AR, Woodruff County, AR, Caldwell Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:36 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

Shreveport, LA (KBAD), launched 00:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 202 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2017-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1748 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2017-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 251 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
1748 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
772 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
251 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
454 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.0
Supercell composite
19.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

816 
ACUS11 KWNS 300837
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 300836 
ARZ000-MSZ000-LAZ000-301000-

Mesoscale Discussion 0608
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0336 AM CDT Sun Apr 30 2017

Areas affected...Southern and eastern AR...and northern LA

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 178...

Valid 300836Z - 301000Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 178
continues.

SUMMARY...Severe weather threat continues across WW 178, along and
east of the cold front as it advances east across AR and
northern/western LA overnight to early this morning. Meanwhile,
counties and parishes can be cleared in the wake of the cold front
passage.

DISCUSSION...08Z surface analysis indicated a synoptic low centered
near the border of northeast OK and southeast KS, with a secondary
low located in south-central AR, while the cold front trailed
southward through northwest and west-central LA to extreme southeast
TX/upper TX coast area.

Water vapor imagery indicated an apparent midlevel shortwave trough
currently tracking to the north/northeast across LA toward southern
and eastern AR and western MS by 12Z.  Forcing for ascent attendant
to this midlevel trough and low-level confluence along the cold
front and a pre-frontal trough has resulted in an increase in
thunderstorm coverage across southern into central LA thus far. 
This activity with further development is expected to spread across
northern LA into southern and eastern AR within the valid portions
of WW 178.  Strengthening deep-layer winds is supporting an increase
in low-level shear (surface-1 km of 40-50 kt) and effective bulk
shear of 40-50 kt within a moderately unstable environment suggests
damaging winds and some tornado threat remains possible across
northern LA into southern and eastern AR.

..Peters.. 04/30/2017

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

ATTN...WFO...MEG...JAN...LZK...LCH...SHV...

LAT...LON   33049204 31999206 31519217 31419281 31429320 32779292
            33809279 34549210 35379193 35909159 35869111 34919099
            34059098 33639110 33239184 33049204

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 29, 9:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClark, Columbia, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Lafayette and 5 more67 min
Apr 29, 10:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland and 36 more8 hr
Apr 29, 11:37 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway and 23 more53 min
Apr 30, 12:54 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clay and 26 more96 min
Apr 30, 1:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Lee and 4 more6 hr
Apr 30, 1:49 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAshley, Chicot7 hr
Apr 30, 2:58 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrittenden, Cross, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips, Poinsett and 1 more92 min
Apr 30, 5:41 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Bradley, Clay, Cleveland, Craighead, Crittenden and 19 more64 min
Apr 30, 6:12 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAshley, Chicot93 min
Apr 30, 1:14 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell and 20 more91 min
Apr 30, 6:59 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Jefferson, Lafourche and 12 more2 hr
Apr 30, 7:32 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson and 14 more7 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Arkansas, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Louisiana, 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.