Alert archive / Arkansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 96

January 21, 20174 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jan 21, 2017, 5:32 PM CST for 4 states. It was in force for 118 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 21, 2017, 5:32 PM CST (23:32 UTC)
Expired
Jan 21, 2017, 7:30 PM CST
In force
118 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 77 counties

Arkansas County, AR, Ashley County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Chicot County, AR, Clark County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Columbia County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Desha County, AR, Drew County, AR, Garland County, AR, Grant County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Howard County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Little River County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Miller County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Montgomery County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Phillips County, AR, Pike County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Saline County, AR, Sevier County, AR, Union County, AR, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Bienville Parish, LA, Bossier Parish, LA, Caddo Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Claiborne Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, De Soto Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Sabine Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Webster Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Bolivar County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, Humphreys County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Leflore County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Sunflower County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Warren County, MS, Washington County, MS, Yazoo County, MS, Bowie County, TX, Cass County, TX

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 135 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:34 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 watches that followed

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

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KBAD), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 126 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 12:00Z on 2017-01-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 20 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 12:00Z on 2017-01-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 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
20 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-323 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1223 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

768 
ACUS11 KWNS 212333
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 212332 
MSZ000-ARZ000-LAZ000-TXZ000-220130-

Mesoscale Discussion 0096
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0532 PM CST Sat Jan 21 2017

Areas affected...Portions of far northeast Texas...northern
Louisiana...southern/central Arkansas...and western Mississippi

Concerning...Tornado Watch 16...

Valid 212332Z - 220130Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 16 continues.

SUMMARY...The threat for tornadoes, very large hail, and damaging
wind gusts continues across much of Watch 16. Additionally,
downstream watch issuance will likely be needed across northeastern
LA, southeastern AR, and western MS within 2-3 hours.

DISCUSSION...Multiple supercells have formed late this afternoon
across west-central portions of Watch 16, in response to low-level
confluence near a surface trough/warm front and mid/upper-level
ascent on the nose of an impulse over eastern TX. A surface low was
analyzed near the TX/LA border at 23Z, with a warm front extending
to its southeast towards New Orleans. Near this boundary, backed
surface winds are enhancing storm-relative helicity sufficiently for
low-level mesocyclogenesis. Indeed, a fairly prominent tornadic
debris signature was noted across far northeast Marion County / far
southeast Cass County in TX over the last 20-30 minutes and another
recently observed over northeast Bossier Parish.

More supercells are likely to form farther south, with the potential
for tornadoes continuing as they progress northeast, especially when
these cells approach the aforementioned surface front. Moreover,
steep mid-level lapse rates noted in 18/20Z regional soundings and
ample effective shear will maintain the potential for robust
organized updrafts capable of very large hail. Indeed, recent KSHV
data have depicted several broad/deep ZDR column and ring structures
aloft, suggesting hailstone growth should be quite efficient.

..Picca.. 01/21/2017

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

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

LAT...LON   32369408 32919442 33269455 34399421 34879347 34799137
            34529059 34129016 33229009 31449098 31139176 30909226
            30989325 32369408

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 21, 2:33 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hempstead, Howard and 9 more2 hr
Jan 21, 3:41 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas and 22 more7 hr
Jan 20, 6:37 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline and 3 more113 min
Jan 20, 7:32 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and 9 more6 hr
Jan 20, 10:04 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline and 7 more116 min
Jan 20, 10:44 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Jefferson, Lafourche and 12 more61 min
Jan 20, 11:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville and 17 more8 hr
Jan 21, 1:41 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Avoyelles, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis and 5 more64 min
Jan 21, 2:55 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson and 16 more2 hr
Jan 21, 6:35 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 1 more55 min
Jan 21, 2:34 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Ascension, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge and 16 more2 hr
Jan 21, 3:29 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Ascension, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge and 22 more6 hr
Jan 20, 10:07 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Hardin, Harris, Jasper and 10 more113 min

Nearby

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