Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2020

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 80, NWS Lubbock, TX

May 20, 2020Crosby County, Garza County, Texas

NWS Lubbock, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2020, 6:22 PM CDT for Crosby County, Garza County, Texas. It was in force for 18 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 20, 2020, 6:22 PM CDT (23:22 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2020, 6:40 PM CDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Lubbock, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Crosby County, TX, Garza County, TX

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:26 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 20, 3:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 182 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2020-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 551 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, Midland Regional, TX at 12:00Z on 2020-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 130 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
551 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-315 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2077 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lubbock, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 2:34 PM CDT, 3 hours 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:34 PM CDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
234 PM CDT Wed May 20 2020

.SHORT TERM...
Little change in the forecast from this mornings update in regards
to afternoon/evening convection...

Upper level shortwave will make its way into our CWA later this
afternoon helping with destabilization. At the surface a dryline
rests near the TX/NM line with E-SE flow across much of our CWA
helping to maintain 60 dewpoints through much of our area. Later
this afternoon surface dynamics and accompanying downslope winds
will aid in the development of a deep lee surface low across the
TX/NM border. This will effectively force the dryline into our far
western counties. The expectation is that the dryline will
sharpen and provide the surface lift necessary for thunderstorm
development. CAMs now showing a later initiation time around 4pm
CDT near and west of I27. Large hail up to hen eggs (2 inches)
remains justified give large CAPEs and severe parameters. DCAPE
values suggest strong wind gusts as high as 70 mph will also be
possible. This afternoons PWs will be greater than 150% of normal.
This along with our moderate vertical wind shear values and
veering winds indicate flash flooding could be an issue especially
across low water crossings and flood prone areas.

Storms will slowly exit the CWA tonight with CDS seeing the last of
the activity after midnight. Behind today's activity overnight
will be mild with lows dropping into the 60s. Tomorrow, the flow
aloft and at the surface become SWRLY with the development of a
lee-side surface low in the afternoon. This scenario will advect
warm dry air into the CWA warming high temperatures into the 90s
for much of the area. SW flow aloft and at the surface will also
act as a forcing mechanism that will drive the dryline to our
eastern borders tomorrow afternoon. Dryline convection could occur
across the very far eastern Rolling Plains or just to our east.

.LONG TERM...
No major changes in the extended forecast which features several
opportunities for thunderstorms and severe weather.

As alluded to above, the dryline will likely reside off the Caprock
tomorrow afternoon/evening, where it could spark isolated late day
convection. If storms can initiate locally, there will be a severe
weather risk. Friday will be fairly similar, though a weak
convectively aided front may dip into the northern South Plains
early in the day. This front will tend to wash out in the afternoon
with the dryline likely mixing back into the Rolling Plains. Thus
there will be a chance for late day convection again on Friday over
the eastern zones, though it could be just outside of the CWA if
some of the guidance is correct.

As the western trough reloads late week into early this weekend,
backing southwesterly flow aloft and surface pressure falls in the
lee of the Rockies should result in the dryline making less eastward
headway. Current projections have the dryline roughly bisecting the
FA from NNE to SSW by peak heating, where it could provide forcing
for isolated to scattered afternoon/evening convection.

The western trough will translate eastward, emerging over the High
Plains late Sunday. This will send a cold front southward into the
South Plains Sunday afternoon or night. T-storms will likely erupt
as the front interacts with the Gulf moisture along of and ahead of
the dryline, which again is forecast to be positioned N-S somewhere
in the center of the FA. Cooler temperatures and a bout of stratus
will follow on Labor Day. Depending on the timing for the front and
passing upper trough, shower/storm chances could linger into early
next week. This will be highly dependent on if/where an upper low
cuts off from the flow, which currently varies from somewhere
over/near West Texas to Kansas, Oklahoma or East Texas. Obviously,
there is a lot to be worked out here, but we have maintained
decreasing rain/storm chances from Monday through Tuesday, with sub-
mentionable PoPs thereafter.

After a warm/hot start to the extended, temperatures will dip
below average behind the FROPA on Monday. However temperatures
should recover to near or even above average by the middle of
next week...assuming a cutoff low doesn't throw down anchor
overhead.

&&

.LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

28/23
Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 11:20 AM CDT, 7 hours 2 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
1120 AM CDT Wed May 20 2020

TXZ021>044-211630-
Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd-
Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum-
Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall-
1120 AM CDT Wed May 20 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling
Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms will develop this afternoon
over areas on the Caprock, with activity moving into the Rolling
Plains during the evening. Thunderstorms later today will have
potential for hail to two inches in diameter, wind gusts to 70 mph,
and localized intense rain and flooding will also be possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Thunderstorms will be possible this weekend and into early next
week, some of which may be severe.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be needed. Please relay any
information about severe weather to the NWS while following local,
state, and CDC guidelines.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 4:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Local storm report, May 20, 4:59 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Local storm report, May 20, 6:13 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lubbock, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro32 min
May 19, 7:29 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLUBLubbock31 min
May 19, 7:36 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLUBCastro114 min
May 19, 7:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHockley, Lubbock36 min
May 19, 7:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro31 min
May 19, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHale, Lamb45 min
May 19, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro, Swisher26 min
May 19, 8:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Garza, Lubbock, Lynn40 min
May 19, 8:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBHale, Swisher38 min
May 19, 8:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBSwisher32 min
May 19, 9:41 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLUBCrosby34 min
May 19, 9:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLUBBriscoe, Swisher32 min
May 19, 11:18 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLUBHall42 min
May 19, 11:51 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLUBChildress, Hall24 min
May 20, 12:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBChildress42 min
May 20, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBGarza58 min
May 20, 4:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro, Hale, Lamb, Swisher54 min
May 20, 4:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro, Parmer65 min
May 20, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBGarza, Kent65 min
May 20, 5:24 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLUBGarza51 min
May 20, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBGarza, Lynn56 min
May 20, 5:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro, Hale, Lamb, Swisher66 min
May 20, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Garza, Hockley, Lubbock, Lynn56 min
May 20, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCastro, Swisher45 min
May 20, 6:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBCrosby, Floyd, Hale, Hockley, Lamb, Lubbock67 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 2020Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2020

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.