Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 618

May 15, 2021Cameron County, Hidalgo County, Willacy County, Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 15, 2021, 12:48 PM CDT for Cameron County, Hidalgo County, Willacy County, Texas. It was in force for 87 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 2021, 12:48 PM CDT (17:48 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2021, 2:15 PM CDT
In force
87 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Cameron County, TX, Hidalgo County, TX, Willacy County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:48 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

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 68 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 12:00Z on 2021-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1407 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 12:00Z on 2021-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1407 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
634 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

387 
ACUS11 KWNS 151749
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 151748 
TXZ000-151915-

Mesoscale Discussion 0618
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1248 PM CDT Sat May 15 2021

Areas affected...Deep South TX

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 151748Z - 151915Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...Damaging wind gusts and isolated hail are possible within
the vicinity of the Rio Grande River across Hidalgo and Cameron
Counties over the next hour or so.

DISCUSSION...Recent KBRO radar imagery has shown increased forward
progression of the convective line moving across the Lower Rio
Grande Valley. In addition, brief low-level rotation was observed
within a cell ahead of the line. Environment downstream of this line
is characterized by moderate east-southeasterly surface winds and
dewpoints in the low 70s. This type of environment should provide
ample inflow for maintenance of the ongoing line as it progresses
eastward. Given the recent radar signatures and overall convective
evolution, damaging wind gusts appear probable in the vicinity of
the Rio Grande River across Hidalgo and Cameron Counties. Isolated
hail may also occur.

..Mosier/Guyer.. 05/15/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...BRO...

LAT...LON   26419852 26619819 26529743 26019727 25679745 25859851
            26419852

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 8:45 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Bailey, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress and 16 more90 min
May 15, 2:25 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCulberson, Loving, Reeves, Ward, Winkler3 hr
May 15, 2:57 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDallam, Hartley2 hr
May 15, 3:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArmstrong, Bailey, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Cochran and 22 more7 hr
May 15, 4:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAndrews, Borden, Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Dawson and 15 more7 hr
May 15, 5:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBailey, Castro, Cochran, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hale and 9 more94 min
May 15, 6:35 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAndrews, Borden, Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson and 18 more85 min

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.