Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 82

January 20, 201716 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jan 20, 2017, 10:07 PM CST for 16 counties in Texas. It was in force for 113 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 20, 2017, 10:07 PM CST (04:07 UTC)
Expired
Jan 21, 2017, 12:00 AM CST
In force
113 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Newton County, TX, Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:07 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 00:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 193 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 00:00Z on 2017-01-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 627 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 00:00Z on 2017-01-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
627 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
842 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

900 
ACUS11 KWNS 210407
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 210407 
TXZ000-210600-

Mesoscale Discussion 0082
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1007 PM CST Fri Jan 20 2017

Areas affected...Portions of southeast Texas

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 210407Z - 210600Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...Scattered thunderstorms will move east across the
discussion area this evening into the overnight hours. A couple of
these storms may reach severe limits, with the potential for large
hail. However, any instances of large hail should remain sparse
enough to preclude watch issuance.

DISCUSSION...Thunderstorms have re-developed across southeast Texas
late this evening, in response to increasing large-scale ascent (and
related mid-level cooling) along the leading edge of an impulse
transiting east towards the Gulf Coast. While drying aloft will
eventually shift the thunderstorm threat eastward into Louisiana,
these cells are developing along the leading edge of a plume of
steeper lapse rates aloft. With strong southwesterly mid/upper flow
positioned over the region, effective shear on the order of 40-45
kts is sufficient for organization of more robust updrafts rooted
above the cool/stable surface layer. As such, the strongest cells
may be capable of a few large hail reports over the next several
hours, before the activity moves east into Tornado Watch 9. Despite
this potential, however, increasing MUCIN (with the aforementioned
drying aloft) should keep the severe threat localized enough to
preclude watch issuance.

..Picca/Edwards.. 01/21/2017

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

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

LAT...LON   29869619 30679580 30899519 31049404 31009375 30749362
            29879431 29349477 28649587 28569630 29209634 29869619

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 20, 6:37 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton and 1 more113 min
Jan 20, 7:32 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCJefferson, Orange6 hr
Jan 21, 2:33 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Cass, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Panola2 hr
Jan 21, 3:41 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Bowie, Cass, Gregg, Harrison, Marion and 7 more7 hr
Jan 21, 5:32 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Cass118 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.