Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 521

May 4, 202114 counties in Arkansas; 9 parishes in Louisiana; 29 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 4, 2021, 6:44 AM CDT for 14 counties in Arkansas; 9 parishes in Louisiana; 29 counties in Texas. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 4, 2021, 6:44 AM CDT (11:44 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2021, 8:45 AM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 52 counties

Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Clark County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Columbia County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Drew County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Miller County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Union County, AR, Bienville Parish, LA, Bossier Parish, LA, Caddo Parish, LA, Claiborne Parish, LA, De Soto Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Webster Parish, LA, Anderson County, TX, Bell County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Camp County, TX, Cass County, TX, Cherokee County, TX, Falls County, TX, Freestone County, TX, Gregg County, TX, Harrison County, TX, Henderson County, TX, Houston County, TX, Lee County, TX, Leon County, TX, Limestone County, TX, Madison County, TX, Marion County, TX, Milam County, TX, Morris County, TX, Nacogdoches County, TX, Panola County, TX, Robertson County, TX, Rusk County, TX, Shelby County, TX, Smith County, TX, Upshur County, TX, Williamson County, TX, Wood County, TX

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:46 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 (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 39 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 00:00Z on 2021-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2938 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2021-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 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
2938 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-99 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1253 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
3.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

528 
ACUS11 KWNS 041145
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 041144 
ARZ000-LAZ000-TXZ000-041345-

Mesoscale Discussion 0521
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0644 AM CDT Tue May 04 2021

Areas affected...portions of central and eastern Texas northeastward
across the Arklatex

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 041144Z - 041345Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...Storms developing this morning across central and eastern
Texas and the Arklatex region will likely pose risk for large hail,
along with gradually increasing thread for damaging winds.  A WW
will likely be required.

DISCUSSION...Latest radar loop shows scattered showers/weak
thunderstorms evolving across portions of central and eastern Texas
at this time, largely hindered by stout capping indicated by model
soundings across this region.  As a cold front advances
southeastward across this area, ascent -- initially in an anafrontal
sense to the cool side of the boundary -- will likely result in
sufficient weakening of the cap to permit isolated/robust storm
development to occur.  The expected/elevated nature of the initial
storms suggests that large hail will be the primary threat
initially.

With time, as storms increase in coverage and congeal to some
degree, and shift eastward into areas of weaker antecedent capping,
risk for damaging winds should gradually increase through the
morning hours.  
 
Timing for initial/vigorous storm development remains uncertain,
given the degree of capping; HRRR forecasts have delayed initial
development as compared to earlier runs.  At present, thinking is
that WW issuance may be required between 12Z and 13Z.

..Goss/Guyer.. 05/04/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...JAN...LZK...SHV...HGX...FWD...EWX...

LAT...LON   34229175 33749158 32469253 31249485 30139725 30909792
            32629563 33719400 34229299 34229175

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 8:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Baxter, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark and 60 more2 hr
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaxter, Benton, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark and 50 more7 hr
May 3, 10:22 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Marion and 2 more83 min
May 3, 11:34 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaxter, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Cleburne, Conway and 27 more86 min
May 4, 1:06 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson and 5 more114 min
May 4, 1:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Mississippi and 2 more6 hr
May 4, 2:02 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Conway, Craighead, Cross, Faulkner, Garland and 16 more88 min
May 4, 4:17 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrittenden88 min
May 4, 10:52 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAshley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Columbia, Desha and 2 more7 hr
May 4, 11:58 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrittenden, Lee, Phillips2 hr
May 4, 12:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCPhillips5 hr
May 4, 1:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCleburne, Conway, Craighead, Cross, Faulkner, Greene and 17 more2 hr
May 4, 8:33 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAvoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, East Feliciana and 14 more117 min
May 4, 12:16 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCaldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant and 9 more89 min
May 4, 3:31 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCEast Baton Rouge, Livingston, Saint Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge6 hr
May 4, 4:46 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCSaint Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington89 min
May 3, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAtascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal and 9 more4 hr
May 3, 7:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBosque, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin and 6 more97 min
May 3, 8:30 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBexar, Blanco, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall60 min
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCallahan, Eastland, Fisher, Haskell, Jones, Nolan and 6 more95 min
May 3, 9:52 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bell, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Freestone and 12 more53 min
May 3, 10:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Bell, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta and 28 more5 hr
May 4, 8:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAngelina, Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers, Colorado and 22 more8 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Texas, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Arkansas, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Louisiana, 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.