Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 11, NWS San Angelo, TX

May 17, 2021Sterling County, Texas

NWS San Angelo, TX issued this tornado warning at May 17, 2021, 7:06 PM CDT for Sterling County, Texas. It was in force for 39 min. 6 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2021, 7:06 PM CDT (00:06 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2021, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS San Angelo, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Observed
Hail
1.0 in

County Sterling County, TX

The radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:10 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 17, 7:11 PM CDTTORNADO19 Nw Sterling City, TXA STORM CHASER VIDEOTAPED A LARGE TORNADO IN NORTHWEST STERLING COUNTY.
May 17, 7:15 PM CDTTORNADO19 Nw Sterling City, TXA NWS SURVEY TEAM FOUND EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE TO TREES, TREE LIMBS AND A SMALL CANOPY. THIS REPORT MATCHES UP WITH STORM CHASER VIDEOS SHOWING MULTIPLE VORTICES IN THE AREA ABOUT THIS TIME. THIS DAMAGE WAS ALSO LOCATED RIGHT UNDER THE RADAR HOOK ECHO.
May 17, 7:36 PM CDTTORNADO14 Nnw Sterling City, TXSTORM CHASER VIDEOTAPED TORNADO AT 7:36 PM.
May 17, 7:40 PM CDTHAIL 2.7512 N Sterling City, TXSTORM CHASER REPORTED BASEBALL SIZE HAIL.
May 17, 7:47 PM CDTTORNADO13 N Sterling City, TXA NWS SURVEY TEAM FOUND EVIDENCE OF EF1 DAMAGE AT THE GAS PLANT AS IT THREW A DUMPSTER FOR 300 YARDS AND A LARGE CONIX BUILDING ABOUT 50 YARDS. IT BENT ONE OF THE TOWERS OF THE PLANT AND SNAPPED A TELEPHONE POLE. THIS IS JUST ONE POINT ON THE PATH AND FURTHER
May 17, 7:47 PM CDTTORNADO14 N Sterling City, TXSTERLING COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED DAMAGE TO A GAS PLANT ABOUT 14 MILES NORTH OF STERLING CITY ALONG HIGHWAY 163. THERE WERE ALSO MULTIPLE EYEWITNESS REPORTS OF THIS TORNADO FROM STORM CHASERS.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 17, 3:04 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 00:00Z on 2021-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 953 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2021-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 5 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
953 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1920 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

274 
WFUS54 KSJT 180006
TORSJT
TXC431-180045-
/O.NEW.KSJT.TO.W.0011.210518T0006Z-210518T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service San Angelo TX
706 PM CDT Mon May 17 2021

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Sterling County in west central Texas...

* Until 745 PM CDT.

* At 705 PM CDT, a confirmed tornado was located 9 miles east of
  Forsan, moving southeast at 20 mph.

  HAZARD...Damaging tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Weather spotters confirmed tornado.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  northwestern Sterling County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a
basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy
building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in
a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect
yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3209 10095 3208 10094 3192 10100 3197 10127
      3208 10127 3208 10126
TIME...MOT...LOC 0005Z 293DEG 15KT 3207 10122 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

KB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 7:19 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatSJTSterling41 min
May 17, 7:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTFisher, Nolan66 min
May 17, 7:46 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTHaskell44 min
May 17, 7:55 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatSJTSterling50 min
May 17, 8:06 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTNolan3 hr
May 17, 8:22 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTJones53 min
May 17, 8:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTNolan55 min
May 17, 8:40 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTFisher, Haskell, Jones, Throckmorton2 hr
May 17, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCoke, Sterling36 min
May 17, 8:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTThrockmorton57 min
May 17, 9:00 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTShackelford45 min
May 17, 9:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTShackelford, Throckmorton32 min
May 17, 9:09 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTCoke, Jones, Nolan, Shackelford, Taylor111 min
May 17, 9:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCoke, Nolan, Runnels, Taylor64 min
May 17, 9:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCallahan, Jones, Shackelford, Taylor51 min
May 17, 9:54 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTCallahan51 min
May 17, 10:03 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTRunnels42 min
May 17, 10:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCoke38 min
May 17, 10:52 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTBrown, Coleman38 min
May 18, 12:41 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTTom Green49 min
May 18, 1:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTConcho, Tom Green52 min
May 18, 1:36 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTFisher24 min
May 18, 1:38 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTJones37 min
May 18, 1:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTFisher25 min
May 18, 1:56 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTRunnels34 min
May 18, 1:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTConcho, Tom Green46 min
May 18, 2:00 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTConcho, Tom Green2 hr
May 18, 2:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTFisher, Jones38 min
May 18, 2:21 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTBrown24 min
May 18, 2:49 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTConcho26 min
May 18, 3:09 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTFisher, Jones3 hr
May 18, 4:01 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTFisher, Jones3 hr
May 18, 4:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTIrion, Sterling, Tom Green57 min
May 18, 4:25 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTBrown35 min
May 18, 4:27 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTCrockett, Irion, Sterling, Tom Green2 hr
May 18, 5:03 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTBrown42 min
May 18, 5:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTCoke, Irion, Sterling, Tom Green57 min
May 18, 5:16 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTCoke, Irion, Sterling, Tom Green3 hr
May 18, 6:07 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTConcho38 min
May 18, 6:39 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTConcho, Menard, Schleicher, Tom Green3 hr
May 18, 6:49 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTConcho26 min
May 18, 7:15 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTMcCulloch45 min
May 18, 7:30 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisorySJTSchleicher3 hr
May 18, 8:10 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTSutton50 min
May 18, 9:05 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTSutton40 min
May 18, 10:54 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementSJTMason36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2021Every tornado warning in 2021Tornadoes in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.