Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 654

May 17, 20215 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 17, 2021, 4:10 PM MDT for 5 states. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2021, 4:10 PM MDT (22:10 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2021, 6:15 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe thunderstorm watch 181
All 23 counties

Baca County, CO, Bent County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Otero County, CO, Morton County, KS, Colfax County, NM, Guadalupe County, NM, Harding County, NM, Mora County, NM, Quay County, NM, San Miguel County, NM, Union County, NM, Cimarron County, OK, Texas County, OK, Dallam County, TX, Hansford County, TX, Hartley County, TX, Hutchinson County, TX, Moore County, TX, Ochiltree County, TX, Oldham County, TX, Roberts County, TX, Sherman County, TX

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 167 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:10 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 168 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2021-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2021-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -81 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1522 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

027 
ACUS11 KWNS 172211
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 172210 
TXZ000-OKZ000-KSZ000-COZ000-NMZ000-180015-

Mesoscale Discussion 0654
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0510 PM CDT Mon May 17 2021

Areas affected...Northeast New Mexico...southeast Colorado...and
portions of the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandles

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 181...

Valid 172210Z - 180015Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 181
continues.

SUMMARY...The threat for severe wind and hail will continue in the
near term, especially across northeast New Mexico into the
northwestern OK/TX Panhandles. The potential for severe wind may
increase into the early evening hours.

DISCUSSION...Latest regional radar and GOES IR trends show a few
discrete supercells, along with severe semi-discrete clusters,
developing along the higher terrain of northeast NM/southeast CO and
along a dryline across far eastern NM and west TX. Sporadic severe
wind and hail have been reported with this activity with 1 inch hail
recently noted across eastern NM and a 51 knot convective wind gust
reported at KLVS in northern NM. 

In the near term, the potential for severe wind and hail will
continue across all of WW 181, though the corridor of highest severe
potential will likely reside from northeast NM into the
west/northwestern OK/TX Panhandles region. Across this area, steep
low-level lapse rates (near 9 C/km) are overlapping with 35-45 knots
of effective bulk shear as well as near 30 knots of 0-3 km bulk
shear (noted in regional VWPs), which will continue to support a
large hail threat and perhaps increase the potential for severe
winds as discrete/semi-discrete storms gradually grow upscale this
evening. 

Further to the north across southeast CO, storm motions have largely
been slow and along the axis of initiation, and continued upscale
growth is anticipated for the next few hours. Instances of severe
hail are possible with any stronger updraft pulses, but weaker
deep-layer flow amid steep 0-3 km lapse rates suggest a gradual
eastward progression of a broken line, and and isolated severe wind
threat, is possible as cold pools begin to consolidate.

..Moore.. 05/17/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...DDC...AMA...PUB...ABQ...

LAT...LON   36030558 36700538 37290517 37740474 38050389 38050302
            37680212 37220135 36740081 36240042 35880045 35700063
            35660115 35610179 35320236 34960288 34620362 34500448
            34750492 35350540 36030558

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 12:39 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaca, Bent, Costilla, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero2 hr
May 17, 1:39 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaca, Bent, Crowley, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero and 2 more8 hr
May 16, 6:06 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Edwards, Hodgeman, Ness, Pawnee, Rush54 min
May 17, 1:11 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCurry, De Baca, Lea, Roosevelt2 hr
May 17, 2:04 PM MDTTornado WatchSPCCurry, Quay, Roosevelt8 hr
May 17, 4:36 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCurry84 min
May 17, 12:09 AM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCComanche, Cotton, Jefferson, Stephens, Tillman96 min
May 16, 6:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCottle, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Garza, Hale and 8 more6 hr
May 16, 7:54 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBriscoe, Cottle, Foard, Hall, King, Knox and 1 more96 min
May 16, 8:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArcher, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Hardeman, Haskell and 10 more4 hr
May 16, 9:46 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaylor, Cottle, Dickens, Foard, Haskell, King and 3 more59 min
May 17, 8:18 AM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJasper, Jefferson, Newton, Orange117 min
May 17, 11:47 AM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAustin, Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos and 29 more88 min
May 17, 3:44 PM MDTTornado WatchSPCBaylor, Childress, Cottle, Fisher, Foard, Hardeman and 10 more6 hr
May 17, 3:53 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaylor, Callahan, Childress, Cottle, Fisher, Foard and 11 more97 min
May 17, 5:13 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDimmit, La Salle, Webb92 min
May 17, 5:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCDimmit, Frio, La Salle, Maverick, Webb, Zavala4 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Texas, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in New Mexico, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Colorado, 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.