Alert archive / Nebraska / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 606

May 13, 2021Cheyenne County, Decatur County, Rawlins County, Kansas; 4 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 13, 2021, 4:48 PM CDT for Cheyenne County, Decatur County, Rawlins County, Kansas; 4 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 117 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 13, 2021, 4:48 PM CDT (21:48 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2021, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
117 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Cheyenne County, KS, Decatur County, KS, Rawlins County, KS, Dundy County, NE, Hayes County, NE, Hitchcock County, NE, Red Willow County, NE

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 132 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2021-05-13Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2021-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 306 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
957 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
306 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
262 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

555 
ACUS11 KWNS 132149
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 132148 
KSZ000-NEZ000-COZ000-132345-

Mesoscale Discussion 0606
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0448 PM CDT Thu May 13 2021

Areas affected...southwest NE...far northwest KS

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 132148Z - 132345Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...An isolated risk for large hail and localized severe gusts
may accompany the stronger storms that manage to develop late this
afternoon into the evening.  Storm coverage and severe-producing
storms will likely remain too isolated to warrant a severe
thunderstorm watch issuance.

DISCUSSION...Visible satellite imagery late this afternoon shows a
cluster of strong to severe storms over the western part of the NE
Sandhills and another discrete storm near the NE/CO/KS border. 
Ample heating has occurred downstream/southeast of the ongoing
activity (as of 2140 UTC) with mid 70s deg F temperatures.  Forecast
soundings show rather cool mid-level temperatures (-17 deg C at 500
mb), which is resulting in 500-750 J/kg MLCAPE despite relatively
marginal boundary layer moisture (mid-upper 40s deg F dewpoints). 
As a mid-level shortwave trough over the northern High Plains/Black
Hills vicinity continues to approach the region this evening,
support for additional storms developing or maintaining their vigor
into the early evening hours seems plausible.  The strong veering
flow with height increasing to 80 kt at 250 mb will aid in storm
venting and possibly hail production considering the long, straight
hodographs and cool mid-level temperatures.  Given the current
forecast expectation for limited storm development south of the NE
Sandhills thunderstorm cluster, a severe thunderstorm watch will
likely not be needed farther south over northwest KS and adjacent
parts of NE this evening.

..Smith/Grams.. 05/13/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...GID...LBF...GLD...

LAT...LON   40330216 40610135 40499997 39509995 39350084 39600189
            40330216

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 6:08 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCheyenne, Rawlins, Sherman2 hr
May 13, 2:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArthur, Banner, Box Butte, Brown, Cherry, Dawes and 8 more3 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Nebraska, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Kansas, 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.