Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2023

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Fort Worth, TX

April 20, 2023Bell County, Falls County, McLennan County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 2023, 4:32 PM CDT for Bell County, Falls County, McLennan County, Texas. It was in force for 28 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 20, 2023, 4:32 PM CDT (21:32 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 2023, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.75 in

Counties Bell County, TX, Falls County, TX, McLennan County, TX

The radar

The Ft Hood radar (KGRK), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:35 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 20, 1:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 173 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, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2023-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1333 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, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2023-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 240 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
1333 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-124 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
649 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
240 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
412 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 20, 3:43 PM CDT, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 20, 3:43 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
343 PM CDT Thu Apr 20 2023

...New Long Term...

.SHORT TERM... /Issued 132 PM CDT Thu Apr 20 2023/
/Through Friday/

Latest satellite and surface observations show the the front
currently moving along a line from Sherman/DFW Metroplex/Comanche
with scattered storms developing along/ahead of the line. We can
also see an additional area of streaming showers/storms across
Central Texas. Coverage of storms along the front will continue to
increase as the atmosphere continues to destabilize. Some of
these storms will become severe with large hail and damaging winds
as the main threat. Storms are expected to merge into a
cluster/line as they continue to move east of I-35 this afternoon
and evening. Make sure to always have multiple ways to receive
alerts and have a plan if a warning is issue for your location.
The severe threat will end when the front moves east of your
location.

There's also a potential for locally heavy rain rates and
training showers/storms mainly across Central Texas through this
evening. Isolated rainfall totals over 2.5" are possible. This may
increase the threat for localized flooding mainly across the low-
lying, flood prone, and urban areas. Most of the activity should
be east/south of our area late tonight, however areas across
Central Texas may see additional post-frontal development of
scattered showers/storms by late Friday morning or early
afternoon. The severe threat remains low at this time, but we
can't rule out a strong storm or two. Otherwise, highs tomorrow
will stay in the 70s with north winds and clouds clearing from
west to east in the afternoon.

Sanchez

&&

.LONG TERM... /NEW/
Update:

After updating the forecast with the latest data, the discussion
below is largely on track. The weekend will start pleasant with
rain expected to develop late Saturday into Sunday with unsettled
weather continuing for much of next week.

Bonnette

Previous Discussion:
/Friday Night Onward/

By Friday night, the cold front will be positioned along the Gulf
Coast with high pressure filtering in behind the departed system.
Overnight lows will be around 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the
previous night, dropping into the mid 40s and lower 50s.
East/southeast winds will prevail Saturday as high pressure shifts
just east of the region with highs in the 70s expected.

The first of multiple low-amplitude shortwaves will arrive in the
west/northwest flow aloft on Sunday across South-Central Texas,
bringing a chance for showers and storms areawide, with the
highest PoPs (40-50%) west of I-35 later in the day. Outside of
the rain/storm chances, cooler and mostly cloudy conditions are
expected Sunday with highs primarily in the upper 50s to upper
60s. Disturbances will continue to arrive through the midweek as
low level return flow also becomes better established, keeping
periodic rain chances in the forecast. Although there is quite a
bit of uncertainty in the location/track of these shortwaves,
guidance is in decent agreement that a slightly more potent trough
will dive southward and induce cyclogenesis to the west around
Tuesday. This will bring higher rain chances to North and Central
Texas and also provide a better shot at receiving meaningful
rainfall totals compared to the lighter amounts expected Sunday.
High temperatures will fluctuate in response to the unsettled
pattern with most areas reaching the 60s and 70s, outside of some
sites in western North & Central Texas climbing into the 80s
Tuesday.

Gordon

&&

.AVIATION... /Issued 132 PM CDT Thu Apr 20 2023/
/18Z TAFs/

The main aviation concern through this evening will be the potential
for scattered thunderstorms along a cold front. Latest satellite
and surface observations show the front is currently moving across
the DFW Metroplex sites. The threat for convection will continue
through around 3 pm, mainly for DFW/DAL/GKY. There is also a
potential that some of the sites may not see a direct impact of
TS. Most of of the activity should be east of the sites after 5 PM
but will still impact the eastern arrivals/departures. Some of
these storms could be severe at times. Additionally, gusty
erratic winds are possible near some of the storms.

For ACT...the timing of storms is between 4-9 PM, with a potential
that some storms may linger later in the evening as the front
slows down or becomes nearly stationary across Central Texas.

North winds will persist through tomorrow around 10-12kt with clouds
clearing from west to east.

Sanchez

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Dallas-Ft. Worth    58  75  53  76  52 /  50  20   0   5  20
Waco                60  76  49  74  53 /  70  30   0  10  20
Paris               56  72  47  71  49 /  80  30   0   5  10
Denton              52  74  47  74  47 /  40  20   0   5  20
McKinney            54  74  47  73  49 /  60  20   0   5  20
Dallas              59  76  52  75  52 /  60  30   0   5  20
Terrell             58  74  49  74  51 /  80  30   0   5  20
Corsicana           62  75  51  76  54 /  80  40   0   5  20
Temple              60  77  49  77  53 /  80  30   0  10  20
Mineral Wells       53  75  47  76  48 /  40  10   0  10  20

&&

.FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 20, 1:08 PM CDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
108 PM CDT Thu Apr 20 2023

TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-211130-
Montague-Cooke-Grayson-Fannin-Lamar-Young-Jack-Wise-Denton-Collin-
Hunt-Delta-Hopkins-Stephens-Palo Pinto-Parker-Tarrant-Dallas-
Rockwall-Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rains-Eastland-Erath-Hood-Somervell-
Johnson-Ellis-Henderson-Comanche-Mills-Hamilton-Bosque-Hill-Navarro-
Freestone-Anderson-Lampasas-Coryell-Bell-McLennan-Falls-Limestone-
Leon-Milam-Robertson-
108 PM CDT Thu Apr 20 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for North and Central Texas.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight.
Scattered to numerous thunderstorms will pose a threat for large
hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain across much of North and Central
Texas. The tornado threat is low, but not zero. Flash flooding is
possible across parts of Central Texas.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.
Low thunderstorm chances return Sunday and continue for much of next
week.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Spotter activation may be needed this afternoon across much of North
and Central Texas.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 20, 3:44 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 20, 3:58 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 20, 4:06 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 20, 4:09 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
409 PM CDT THU APR 20 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0400 PM     HAIL             4 SSE FORNEY            32.70N 96.45W
04/20/2023  E1.50 INCH       KAUFMAN            TX   AMATEUR RADIO

            HAM RELAYS TRAINED SPOTTER REPORT OF PING
            PONG HAIL ON I-20 AND FM 741 NEAR
            FORNEY/HEARTLAND.

&&

PRATER
Local storm report, Apr 20, 4:13 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
413 PM CDT THU APR 20 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0353 PM     HAIL             2 ENE SOUTH MOUNTAIN    31.45N 97.65W
04/20/2023  M2.00 INCH       CORYELL            TX   PUBLIC

&&

PRATER
Local storm report, Apr 20, 4:32 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
432 PM CDT THU APR 20 2023

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0417 PM     HAIL             4 SE FORNEY             32.71N 96.42W
04/20/2023  E1.75 INCH       KAUFMAN            TX   BROADCAST MEDIA

            BROADCAST MEDIA REPORTS GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
            AT FM 1641 AND HELMS TRAIL IN TALTY.
            COVERING GROUND. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

&&

PRATER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 9:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFWDYoung30 min
Apr 20, 2:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFannin67 min
Apr 20, 2:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCollin, Dallas, Hunt, Rockwall64 min
Apr 20, 2:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCoryell, Hamilton61 min
Apr 20, 2:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEllis, Hill, Johnson56 min
Apr 20, 3:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas, Kaufman57 min
Apr 20, 3:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta, Fannin, Lamar67 min
Apr 20, 3:16 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFWDFannin3 hr
Apr 20, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBosque, Coryell, Hamilton, McLennan67 min
Apr 20, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEllis, Hill62 min
Apr 20, 3:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKaufman66 min
Apr 20, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins, Hunt, Rains, Van Zandt28 min
Apr 20, 4:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta, Fannin, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar67 min
Apr 20, 4:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFWDCoryell, McLennan57 min
Apr 20, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDLampasas63 min
Apr 20, 4:46 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFWDBell, Coryell, McLennan3 hr
Apr 20, 4:48 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFWDKaufman2 hr
Apr 20, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFWDBell, Coryell, Lampasas53 min
Apr 20, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFWDKaufman, Van Zandt65 min
Apr 20, 4:55 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDBell, Falls50 min
Apr 20, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDelta, Hopkins, Lamar40 min
Apr 20, 5:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatFWDBell, Falls, McLennan64 min
Apr 20, 5:16 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDBell, Coryell, Falls, McLennan3 hr
Apr 20, 5:36 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFWDHunt24 min
Apr 20, 5:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell, Coryell, Milam38 min
Apr 20, 5:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFWDHill32 min
Apr 20, 5:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEllis, Hill, Navarro25 min
Apr 20, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHenderson, Kaufman, Van Zandt68 min
Apr 20, 6:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFalls, Limestone, Milam, Robertson63 min
Apr 20, 6:19 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFWDFranklin26 min
Apr 20, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBell, Milam, Robertson56 min
Apr 20, 6:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDFalls, Milam100 min
Apr 20, 6:47 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDMilam, Robertson43 min
Apr 20, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDVan Zandt38 min
Apr 20, 6:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDLimestone118 min
Apr 20, 6:59 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDVan Zandt34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2023Every tornado warning in 2023Tornadoes in 2023

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.