Alert archive / Texas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2024

Mesoscale Discussion 310

March 27, 202411 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 27, 2024, 1:52 PM CDT for 11 counties in Texas. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 2024, 1:52 PM CDT (18:52 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 2024, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
5%

Counties Bell County, TX, Blanco County, TX, Burnet County, TX, Comanche County, TX, Coryell County, TX, Erath County, TX, Hamilton County, TX, Lampasas County, TX, Mills County, TX, Travis County, TX, Williamson County, TX

The radar

The Ft Hood radar (KGRK), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:55 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 nearest sounding before it

Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 175 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 2024-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Fort Worth, TX at 12:00Z on 2024-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1686 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

963 
ACUS11 KWNS 271853
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 271852 
TXZ000-272115-

Mesoscale Discussion 0310
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0152 PM CDT Wed Mar 27 2024

Areas affected...parts of central Texas

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 271852Z - 272115Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...The risk for a few strong thunderstorms with potential to
produce severe hail and locally strong surface gusts appears likely
to increase by 4-6 PM CDT.

DISCUSSION...Beneath cold air (including 500 mb temperatures around
-23 to -26 C) associated with mid-level troughing shifting across
the southern Great Plains, a deepening well-mixed boundary-layer
continues to evolve with daytime heating across the Edwards Plateau
into Hill Country.  Near the leading edge of the stronger
differential surface heating, where surface dew points are still as
high as the mid/upper 40s F, destabilization is contributing to
deepening convective development, within moderately sheared westerly
to west-northwesterly deep-layer mean flow.

With additional insolation, it appears that mixed-layer CAPE may
increase in excess of 500 J/kg.  As the sharp trailing flank of the
mid-level cold pool begins to progress east-northeast of the Permian
Basin, strongest instability is forecast to shift toward the I-35
corridor of central Texas through 21-23Z, where/when initiation and
intensification of thunderstorm activity appear increasingly
probable, perhaps aided by ascent associated with low-level warm
advection.

Given the evolving thermodynamic profiles and favorable deep-layer
shear, a few supercell structures may develop and pose a risk for
producing severe hail and locally strong surface gusts through early
evening, before weakening.

..Kerr/Hart.. 03/27/2024

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

ATTN...WFO...FWD...EWX...SJT...

LAT...LON   32339814 31519735 30239760 30089850 32119908 32339814

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Texas, 2024Every mesoscale discussion in 2024

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.