Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 188

March 16, 202136 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 16, 2021, 9:27 PM CDT for 36 counties in Texas. It was in force for 93 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 16, 2021, 9:27 PM CDT (02:27 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 2021, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
93 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
95%
All 36 counties

Archer County, TX, Baylor County, TX, Brown County, TX, Callahan County, TX, Coke County, TX, Coleman County, TX, Comanche County, TX, Concho County, TX, Eastland County, TX, Erath County, TX, Fisher County, TX, Foard County, TX, Haskell County, TX, Irion County, TX, Jack County, TX, Jones County, TX, Kimble County, TX, King County, TX, Knox County, TX, Mason County, TX, McCulloch County, TX, Menard County, TX, Mills County, TX, Nolan County, TX, Palo Pinto County, TX, Runnels County, TX, San Saba County, TX, Schleicher County, TX, Shackelford County, TX, Stephens County, TX, Stonewall County, TX, Sutton County, TX, Taylor County, TX, Throckmorton County, TX, Tom Green County, TX, Young County, TX

The radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:33 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

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 218 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 2021-03-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 30 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2021-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 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
30 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3894 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

489 
ACUS11 KWNS 170227
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 170227 
TXZ000-170400-

Mesoscale Discussion 0188
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0927 PM CDT Tue Mar 16 2021

Areas affected...northwest Texas through the Hill country

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 170227Z - 170400Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...95 percent

SUMMARY...Severe storms are expected to develop from northwest Texas
into the Hill country near or shortly after 03Z and spread east
overnight. Damaging wind and large hail are the primary threats, but
a couple of tornadoes are also possible.

DISCUSSION...As of mid evening a cold front is advancing east
through western Texas, and this boundary will soon merge with the
dryline farther east. Low level moisture with upper 50s to low 60s F
dewpoints is surging northwestward beneath steep mid-level lapse
rates, and latest objective analysis show moderate instability with
1500-2000 J/kg MLCAPE east of the dryline. However, the 00Z RAOB
data from Fort Worth and RAP point-forecast soundings indicate a
capping inversion associated with warm air aloft at the base of an
elevated mixed layer. This suggests initial storm development will
likely remain confined to within the zone of forcing where the cold
front intercepts the dryline. Moreover, WV imagery shows a corridor
of deep forcing for ascent associated with a progressive shortwave
trough spreading eastward through western TX. Current estimation is
that storms will probably initiate near or shortly after 03Z. Some
discrete modes are possible initially, but storms are expected to
evolve into a dominant linear mode. Wind profiles with 50 kt
effective bulk shear will support organized storms including bowing
line segments and embedded supercells. Damaging wind and large hail
will be the main threats, but a couple of tornadoes are also
possible given sufficiently large low-level hodographs.

..Dial/Hart.. 03/17/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...FWD...OUN...EWX...SJT...LUB...MAF...

LAT...LON   30350131 31690099 33770066 34199969 33789821 32429784
            30679889 30140013 30350131

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 7:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCollingsworth, Donley, Gray, Hemphill, Lipscomb, Roberts and 1 more7 hr
Mar 16, 10:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBell, Bosque, Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman and 44 more7 hr
Mar 17, 1:32 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Gregg, Harrison, Marion and 7 more118 min
Mar 17, 2:20 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, Erath and 6 more85 min
Mar 17, 4:04 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Collin and 25 more86 min
Mar 17, 4:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Collin and 30 more5 hr
Mar 17, 4:38 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, Hansford and 11 more6 hr
Mar 17, 6:40 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Delta and 16 more95 min
Mar 17, 8:43 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAngelina, Nacogdoches, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby4 hr
Mar 17, 11:35 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAngelina, Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Harris and 10 more85 min
Mar 17, 11:53 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCHardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange, Tyler6 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Texas, 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.