Alert archive / Louisiana / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 704

May 12, 2017Washington County, Alabama; 14 parishes in Louisiana; 13 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 12, 2017, 9:56 AM CDT for Washington County, Alabama; 14 parishes in Louisiana; 13 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 2017, 9:56 AM CDT (14:56 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 2017, 12:30 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
60%
All 28 counties

Washington County, AL, Ascension Parish, LA, Assumption Parish, LA, Jefferson Parish, LA, Lafourche Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Saint Charles Parish, LA, Saint James Parish, LA, Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA, Saint Tammany Parish, LA, St. Mary Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Terrebonne Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, Covington County, MS, Forrest County, MS, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Harrison County, MS, Jones County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Marion County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Perry County, MS, Stone County, MS, Wayne County, MS

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 39 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2017-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1224 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2017-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 118 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
1224 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
587 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

618 
ACUS11 KWNS 121457
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 121456 
ALZ000-MSZ000-LAZ000-121730-

Mesoscale Discussion 0704
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0956 AM CDT Fri May 12 2017

Areas affected...Southeast Louisiana...Southern Mississippi and
Southwest Alabama

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 121456Z - 121730Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...60 percent

SUMMARY...An isolated wind damage threat along with a potential for
a brief tornado will exist across southeast Louisiana and southern
Mississippi over the next couple of hours. Weather watch issuance
may be needed across the region late this morning.

DISCUSSION...The latest surface analysis shows a corridor of
low-level moisture from southeast Louisiana extending northeastward
into southern Mississippi. A line of convection is located along the
western edge of the moist corridor with surface dewpoints ahead of
the line in the upper 60s to mid 70s F. Surface temperatures have
warmed into the upper 70s to near 80 F across southeast Louisiana
which has helped the line to become a bit more organized over the
last hour. The line is being supported by strong large-scale ascent
associated with a shortwave trough moving across the lower
Mississippi Valley evident on water vapor imagery. The line was also
located near the axis of the strongest mid-level flow which was
helping to create moderate deep-layer shear, sampled by the New
Orleans WSR-88D VWP. The VWP shows 0-6 km of 50-55 kt with veered
southwesterly flow in the lowest 1 km AGL. This wind profile could
be favorable for some damaging wind gusts with cells that obtain a
bowing structure. Although low-level shear appears relatively weak,
a brief tornado can not be ruled out along a gust front.

..Broyles/Goss.. 05/12/2017

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

ATTN...WFO...MOB...JAN...LIX...LCH...

LAT...LON   31988866 31828949 30739046 30109140 29599182 29249156
            29159075 29378993 30228890 31558791 31988866

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 10:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Escambia, Mobile5 hr
May 12, 10:56 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay and 16 more3 hr
May 12, 1:06 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Cullman and 7 more2 hr
May 12, 1:42 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaldwin, Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 8 more108 min
May 12, 4:24 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline and 4 more3 hr
May 12, 10:59 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMorehouse, West Carroll3 hr
May 12, 1:43 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston and 12 more3 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Louisiana, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 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.