Alert archive / Kansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 615

May 14, 202111 counties in Kansas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 14, 2021, 7:10 PM CDT for 11 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 14, 2021, 7:10 PM CDT (00:10 UTC)
Expired
May 14, 2021, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe thunderstorm watch 170

Counties Ellis County, KS, Gove County, KS, Graham County, KS, Lane County, KS, Logan County, KS, Ness County, KS, Rooks County, KS, Scott County, KS, Sheridan County, KS, Thomas County, KS, Trego County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:09 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

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 139 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2021-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1153 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2021-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 81 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
1153 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1827 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

489 
ACUS11 KWNS 150011
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 150010 
KSZ000-150215-

Mesoscale Discussion 0615
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0710 PM CDT Fri May 14 2021

Areas affected...west-central KS

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 170...

Valid 150010Z - 150215Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 170
continues.

SUMMARY...A supercell or two in the northeast part of WW 170 will
move slowly to the south-southeast.  Hail and wind are the primary
risks.  Eventual thunderstorm outflow consolidation will focus the
risk for severe gusts over parts of west-central KS in the 0200-0330
UTC period.

DISCUSSION...Radar mosaic shows several clusters of strong to severe
thunderstorms across parts of northwest KS into eastern CO, and
farther south into extreme southeast CO moving into southwest KS as
of 0000 UTC.  A strengthening LLJ over the next 2 hours will further
aid in storm activity consolidating over western KS as it moves into
a more moisture-rich airmass with mid-upper 50s deg F dewpoints. 
Steep lapse rates evident on the 0000 UTC Dodge City raob (7.8 deg
C/km in the 700-500 mb layer) will aid in storm intensity, despite
gradual cooling in the boundary layer this evening.  Large hail and
severe gusts may accompany the more discrete activity over the
northeast portion of WW 170.  Otherwise, severe gusts (60-75 mph)
will become the primary concern this evening over west-central KS.

..Smith.. 05/15/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...GID...DDC...GLD...

LAT...LON   39520120 39650026 39389933 38869919 38179964 38060068
            38560141 39520120

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 7:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarber, Barton, Comanche, Edwards, Ellis, Ellsworth and 16 more5 hr
May 14, 9:42 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEdwards, Hodgeman, Ness, Pawnee63 min
May 15, 6:07 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCGrant, Hamilton, Kearny, Morton, Stanton, Stevens5 hr
May 15, 6:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGrant, Hamilton, Stanton58 min
May 15, 6:44 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChautauqua, Cowley, Edwards, Ford, Hodgeman, Kingman and 7 more61 min
May 15, 6:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarber, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Ellis and 37 more6 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.