Alert archive / Louisiana / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 527

May 4, 202115 parishes in Louisiana; 10 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 4, 2021, 12:16 PM CDT for 15 parishes in Louisiana; 10 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 89 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 4, 2021, 12:16 PM CDT (17:16 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2021, 1:45 PM CDT
In force
89 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 144...146
All 25 counties

Caldwell Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Madison County, MS, Warren County, MS, Yazoo County, MS

The radar

The Ft Polk radar (KPOE), 146 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:19 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

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 171 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 2021-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2428 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 2021-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 170 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
2428 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
646 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
170 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
235 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.8
Supercell composite
13.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

236 
ACUS11 KWNS 041717
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 041716 
MSZ000-LAZ000-041845-

Mesoscale Discussion 0527
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1216 PM CDT Tue May 04 2021

Areas affected...Central LA into Southwest MS

Concerning...Tornado Watch 144...146...

Valid 041716Z - 041845Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 144, 146 continues.

SUMMARY...A corridor of relatively greater severe risk may be
developing across central LA and west-central MS.

DISCUSSION...Ongoing line of thunderstorms extending from far
southern AR back westward into far southeast TX is beginning to show
signs of more forward progression, particularly within the portion
of the line over northern LA. Air mass downstream of this cluster is
very unstable, with mesoanalysis currently estimating MLCAPE over
3000 J/kg, and strongly sheared. Additionally, recent surface
observations and radar imagery appear to reveal a modest boundary
acting as an effective warm front, roughly from JAN (in Rankin
County MS) southwestward to just east of AEX (in Rapides Parish LA).
Temperatures south of this boundary are in the 80s with dewpoints in
the mid 70s. This boundary could act as an impetus for additional
storm intensification/organization, with the corridor along this
effective frontal zone experiencing a heightened threat for strong
damaging wind gusts as well as hail and brief QLCS tornadoes.

..Mosier.. 05/04/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...JAN...LCH...SHV...

LAT...LON   32209323 32759178 32798995 31679011 30889296 32209323

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBossier, Caddo, Webster7 hr
May 4, 6:44 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, De Soto, Lincoln and 3 more2 hr
May 4, 8:33 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAvoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, East Feliciana and 14 more117 min
May 4, 10:52 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAllen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo and 31 more7 hr
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 4, 9:03 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha117 min
May 4, 9:18 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAttala, Carroll, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Copiah and 26 more7 hr
May 4, 11:58 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, DeSoto and 13 more2 hr
May 4, 12:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, DeSoto and 16 more5 hr
May 4, 2:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAttala, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Copiah, Covington and 26 more88 min
May 4, 3:03 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lowndes and 5 more117 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Louisiana, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 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.