Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2021

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 142

May 4, 202128 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at May 4, 2021, 8:11 AM CDT for 28 counties in Texas. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 4, 2021, 8:11 AM CDT (13:11 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2021, 3:45 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2 in
Strongest gust expected
55 kt
All 28 counties

Angelina County, TX, Austin County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Harris County, TX, Houston County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Madison County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Nacogdoches County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Polk County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Shelby County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Tyler County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:13 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
20%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
2%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
Ten or more severe hail reports
50%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
80%

Warnings issued inside it

6 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 8:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson28 min
May 4, 8:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXBrazos, Burleson, Grimes, Waller, Washington48 min
May 4, 11:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVPanola, Shelby38 min
May 4, 11:52 AM CDTTornado WarningLCHNewton23 min
May 4, 1:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty31 min
May 4, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHHardin, Jasper36 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 231 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2021-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3311 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2021-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 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
3311 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
458 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

912 
WWUS20 KWNS 041309
SEL2  
SPC WW 041309
TXZ000-CWZ000-041800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 142
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
810 AM CDT Tue May 4 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of 
  East/Southeast Texas
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Tuesday morning and afternoon from 810 AM until
  100 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 65 mph possible
  A tornado or two possible

SUMMARY...Severe thunderstorms are expected to increase in coverage
and intensity across portions of East/Southeast Texas through the
morning, with severe hail and isolated damaging winds as the primary
hazards.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 60
statute miles north and south of a line from 40 miles southwest of
College Station TX to 65 miles north northeast of Port Arthur TX.
For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch
outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
tornadoes.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 141...

AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 55 knots. A
few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
25025.

...Guyer

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAtascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal and 9 more4 hr
May 3, 7:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBosque, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin and 6 more97 min
May 3, 8:30 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBexar, Blanco, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall60 min
May 3, 8:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Gregg, Marion, Morris and 4 more2 hr
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCallahan, Eastland, Fisher, Haskell, Jones, Nolan and 6 more95 min
May 3, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg and 10 more7 hr
May 3, 9:52 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bell, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Freestone and 12 more53 min
May 3, 10:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Bell, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta and 28 more5 hr
May 3, 11:34 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBowie, Camp, Cass, Falls, Franklin, Freestone and 12 more86 min
May 4, 6:44 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bell, Brazos, Burleson, Camp, Cass and 23 more2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Texas, 2021Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.