Alert archive / Utah / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1767

September 18, 2021Coconino County, Arizona; 12 counties in Utah

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Sep 18, 2021, 10:59 AM MST for Coconino County, Arizona; 12 counties in Utah. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 18, 2021, 10:59 AM MST (17:59 UTC)
Expired
Sep 18, 2021, 1:00 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
5%

Counties Coconino County, AZ, Carbon County, UT, Duchesne County, UT, Emery County, UT, Garfield County, UT, Kane County, UT, Piute County, UT, Sanpete County, UT, Sevier County, UT, Summit County, UT, Utah County, UT, Wasatch County, UT, Wayne County, UT

The radar

The Cedar City radar (KICX), 183 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:00 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

Grand Junction, CO (KGJT), launched 12:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 237 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, Grand Junction, CO at 12:00Z on 2021-09-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Grand Junction, CO at 12:00Z on 2021-09-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3697 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

182 
ACUS11 KWNS 181800
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 181759 
UTZ000-AZZ000-182000-

Mesoscale Discussion 1767
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1259 PM CDT Sat Sep 18 2021

Areas affected...Far northern Arizona into northern Utah

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 181759Z - 182000Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...A couple strong to severe gusts and perhaps an instance of
large hail may occur with one of the stronger storms. A WW issuance
is not expected given the relatively brief, localized nature of the
severe threat.

DISCUSSION...Current visible satellite imagery depicts some breaks
in the clouds across portions of the Lower Colorado River Basin,
promoting modest insolation and associated increasing buoyancy.
Clusters of ongoing thunderstorms along the AZ/UT border have
recently supported surface gusts up to 40 kts within the past hour,
and these storms are poised to move through the aforementioned axis
of surface heating through the afternoon. The 12Z SLC observed
sounding showed up to 8 C/km lapse rates within the 700-500 mb
layer, and with surface temperatures warming through the 70s F (per
latest METAR observations), widespread 7.5-8.5 surface-500 mb lapse
rates will result (as already shown by 17Z mesoanalysis). These
steep lapse rates will contribute to 500 J/kg amid 45 kts of 500 mb
flow, which may efficiently mix downward within the deep, dry
boundary layer to support strong to briefly severe wind gusts. A
brief instance or two of large hail also cannot be ruled out.
However, the severe threat is expected to remain sparse and brief,
and a WW issuance appears unlikely.

..Squitieri/Hart.. 09/18/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...GJT...FGZ...SLC...VEF...

LAT...LON   35581309 38741246 40461186 40921154 40951049 40550999
            39910975 38750973 37560982 37001007 35571126 35581309

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Utah, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Arizona, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.