Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 674

May 18, 20218 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 18, 2021, 3:52 PM CDT for 8 counties in Texas. It was in force for 83 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2021, 3:52 PM CDT (20:52 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2021, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
83 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 188

Counties Bastrop County, TX, Caldwell County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fayette County, TX, Gonzales County, TX, Guadalupe County, TX, Hays County, TX, Lavaca County, TX

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:55 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

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 218 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2021-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 12 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, Corpus Christi, TX at 12:00Z on 2021-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -66 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-595 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1962 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-43 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

929 
ACUS11 KWNS 182053
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 182052 
TXZ000-182215-

Mesoscale Discussion 0674
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0352 PM CDT Tue May 18 2021

Areas affected...Portions of south-central TX

Concerning...Tornado Watch 188...

Valid 182052Z - 182215Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 188 continues.

SUMMARY...The greatest near-term severe threat across Tornado Watch
188 should focus east of San Antonio and south of Austin.

DISCUSSION...A supercell anchored along a surface boundary and
embedded within a small cluster has recently produced 1.25 inch hail
to the northeast of San Antonio and a 67 mph wind gust at the New
Braunfels airport (KBAZ). Strong low-level velocities have also been
noted from the KEWX radar with this storm. The environment
downstream of this activity should remain favorable for severe
storms, with MLCAPE generally ranging from 1500-2000 J/kg and 35-40
kt of effective bulk shear present across south-central TX. Both
large hail and damaging wind gusts should remain the primary severe
threat for the next hour or two. Other convection is attempting to
strengthen to the south of the ongoing cluster in a modest low-level
warm advection regime. These storms may also become severe if they
strengthen further. Although the east-southeasterly low-level flow
to the south of the boundary is not overly strong per recent
mesoanalysis estimates, it may be strong enough to support an
isolated tornado, especially with any storm that can remain anchored
to the remnant outflow boundary.

..Gleason.. 05/18/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...HGX...EWX...

LAT...LON   29709807 30089808 30169761 30139670 29749644 29319652
            29149674 29229788 29709807

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 7:04 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Bosque, Brown, Clay, Comanche, Eastland and 15 more86 min
May 17, 7:23 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCarson, Dallam, Gray, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill and 8 more2 hr
May 17, 7:32 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBrown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho, McCulloch and 4 more3 hr
May 17, 7:37 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCallahan, Coke, Coleman, Glasscock, Howard, Jones and 6 more83 min
May 17, 8:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArcher, Clay, Comanche, Eastland, Erath, Hamilton and 11 more5 hr
May 17, 8:34 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtascosa, Dimmit, Frio, La Salle, McMullen, Maverick and 2 more116 min
May 17, 9:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCarson, Collingsworth, Donley, Gray, Hansford, Hemphill and 7 more2 hr
May 17, 9:44 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Borden, Briscoe, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle and 15 more91 min
May 17, 10:23 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArcher, Brown, Callahan, Clay, Coke, Coleman and 16 more97 min
May 17, 10:35 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAndrews, Borden, Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Dawson and 13 more85 min
May 17, 10:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAndrews, Borden, Brown, Coke, Coleman, Concho and 22 more7 hr
May 17, 11:37 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBosque, Brown, Comanche, Denton, Eastland, Erath and 9 more83 min
May 18, 1:02 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrooks, Duval, Jim Hogg58 min
May 18, 1:29 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCoke, Concho, Crane, Crockett, Ector, Glasscock and 13 more91 min
May 18, 5:07 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCoke, Concho, Irion, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher and 2 more53 min
May 18, 1:18 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Brazos, Burleson and 28 more117 min
May 18, 1:57 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBailey, Castro, Deaf Smith, Parmer, Randall, Swisher3 hr
May 18, 2:29 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAnderson, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco and 30 more7 hr
May 18, 2:30 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg and 12 more2 hr
May 18, 3:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg and 11 more5 hr
May 18, 5:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLa Salle, McMullen, Webb95 min
May 18, 5:39 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Cass, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Morris and 1 more2 hr
May 18, 6:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArmstrong, Borden, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Cochran and 17 more113 min
May 18, 6:13 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAustin, Brazos, Burleson, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette and 14 more92 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.