Alert archive / Nebraska / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 747

May 26, 20215 counties in Colorado; 11 counties in Nebraska; 5 counties in Wyoming

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 26, 2021, 11:45 AM MDT for 5 counties in Colorado; 11 counties in Nebraska; 5 counties in Wyoming. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 2021, 11:45 AM MDT (17:45 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 2021, 1:45 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 21 counties

Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Weld County, CO, Arthur County, NE, Banner County, NE, Box Butte County, NE, Cheyenne County, NE, Dawes County, NE, Deuel County, NE, Garden County, NE, Kimball County, NE, Morrill County, NE, Scotts Bluff County, NE, Sioux County, NE, Converse County, WY, Goshen County, WY, Laramie County, WY, Niobrara County, WY, Platte County, WY

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:51 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 223 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2021-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 138 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2021-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 128 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
138 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-221 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

278 
ACUS11 KWNS 261745
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 261745 
NEZ000-COZ000-SDZ000-WYZ000-261945-

Mesoscale Discussion 0747
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1245 PM CDT Wed May 26 2021

Areas affected...portions of eastern Wyoming and northeastern
Colorado...and into the Nebraska Panhandle

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 261745Z - 261945Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...Initial storm development is expected across portions of
the central High Plains, focused on eastern WY/northeastern CO,
within the next 1 to 2 hours.  WW will likely be required.

DISCUSSION...Latest surface analysis shows a warm front -- extending
from a low over central Wyoming -- draped southeastward across
southeastern Wyoming and far northeastern Colorado into northwestern
Kansas.  As cirrus has thinned across eastern Wyoming, heating of
the modestly moist boundary layer has resulted in 500 to 1000 J/kg
mixed-layer CAPE development along the boundary.  

As the upper circulation indicated by WV imagery near the
northwestern corner of Wyoming continues eastward, increasing ascent
-- focused near the surface low and associated warm front -- to
permit storm development to occur.  The increase in ascent is
evident across the higher terrain of southeastern Wyoming within a
visible satellite loop, where cumulus has begun to grow/increase. 
This trend should continue, and coupled with continued
heating/modest destabilization with time, storm development is
expected to occur.

With southeasterly low-level flow in the vicinity of the front
beneath mid-level west-southwesterlies that should gradually
strengthen with time, shear will favor rotating storms initially. 
Large hail, and locally damaging winds, would be the primary severe
risks.  With time, linear/upscale growth is expected, as storms move
into the Nebraska Panhandle late this afternoon/this evening --
suggesting increasingly widespread potential for damaging winds.

..Goss/Hart.. 05/26/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...LBF...UNR...GLD...BOU...CYS...

LAT...LON   43520502 42970353 42320224 41520161 40190176 39970278
            39970495 41420515 42920601 43520502

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 26, 3:42 PM MDTTornado Watch PDSSPCCheyenne, Kit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick and 2 more8 hr
May 26, 4:44 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPhillips, Sedgwick2 hr
May 26, 9:14 AM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDundy, Hitchcock, Red Willow61 min
May 26, 1:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArthur, Banner, Box Butte, Cherry, Cheyenne, Dawes and 11 more8 hr
May 26, 5:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdams, Blaine, Buffalo, Butler, Clay, Custer and 28 more8 hr
May 26, 5:48 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBox Butte, Dawes, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux87 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Nebraska, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Colorado, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Wyoming, 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.