A weak upper level disturbance combined with a surface trough over far West Texas provided the lift for thunderstorms to develop over El Paso County.
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The episode as NWS EPZ wrote it up.
A weak upper level disturbance combined with a surface trough over far West Texas provided the lift for thunderstorms to develop over El Paso County.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 1:19 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 219 PM MDT FRI AUG 13 2010 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK WITH ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW STORMS COULD APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS WITH THE THREAT OF HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE DESERT LOWLANDS WILL BE AROUND 100 DEGREES SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. && .DISCUSSION... BOTH GFS AND ECMWF CONTINUE TO SHOW ELONGATED RIDGE STRETCHING FROM LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THROUGH TEXAS TO NORTHERN SONORA THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THIS PERSISTENT PATTERN WILL KEEP VERY WARM CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CWA WITH AFTERNOON TEMPS 4 TO 9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE RECORD HIGH TEMP SATURDAY IS ONLY 101...AND WE MAY BREAK THAT RECORD. THAT HIGH PRESURE WILL ALSO TEND TO SUPPRESS SHOWER AND T-STORM ACTIVITY. HOWEVER...OROGRAPHIC LIFT AND DAYTIME HEATING...WITH PW GENERALLY ABOVE AN INCH...WILL LEAD TO EARLY AFTERNOON STORMS OVER AREA MOUNTAINS...FOLLOWED BY OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES THAT KICK OFF ISOLATED STORMS OVER THE DESERT LOWLANDS. GIVEN OUR VERTICAL PROFILE SOME OF THE STORMS COULD APPROACH SEVERE LEVELS WITH STRONG WINDS...LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER ELEVATIONS. PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS PROGGED THE HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT TO SHIFT WEST AND AMPLIFY NORTHWARD...BUT CURRENT RUNS KEEP THE HIGH CENTERED OVER NEW MEXICO (GFS) OR NORTH TEXAS (ECMWF) THROUGH FRIDAY. GIVEN THE LEVEL OF UNCERTAINTY...I MADE NO CHANGES FOR THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...VALID 14/00Z-15/00Z... VFR CONDITIONS PREDOMINATE...BUT EXPECT ISO TSRA WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE INTO THIS EVENING...AND WIDELY SCATTERED TSRA EAST. WITH CONVECTION GOING UP OVER THE DESERT MOUNTAIN RANGES EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE...ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO HOLD VCTS IN TAFS AT KELP. COULD SEE OUTFLOW INTERACTIONS WITH WEAK SFC TROUGH THIS EVENING SPARK LOWLAND STORMS WEST OF THE RIO...MUCH LIKE YESTERDAY EVENING. THUNDERSTORM BASES GENERALLY 8-9KFT WITH BRIEF IFR UNDER STORMS. 40-50 KNOT TSTM WIND GUST POTENTIAL POSSIBLE IN LOWLANDS GIVEN T/TD SPREADS. ISO SVR GUSTS NOT ENTIRELY OUT OF THE QUESTION. EXPECT SLOW DECREASE IN CONVECTIVE COVERAGE GOING INTO THE WEEKEND. && .FIRE WEATHER... AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN SLOWLY DEVELOPING OVER THE SACS...GILA...AND DESERT MOUNTAIN RANGES EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE. LOWLAND STORMS STILL LOOK MOST LIKELY EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR PUSHING IN FROM THE NORTH MAY LEAD TO A DECREASE IN THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE REST OF THE AREA WILL HAVE ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOUT 5 TO 9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL GOING THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH MANY LOWLAND LOCATIONS TOPPING 100 DEGREES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... EL PASO 76 102 76 100 75 / 20 10 20 10 20 SIERRA BLANCA TX 73 100 73 96 69 / 20 10 20 10 20 LAS CRUCES 72 102 72 100 71 / 20 10 20 10 20 ALAMOGORDO 70 100 70 98 70 / 20 10 20 10 20 CLOUDCROFT 53 76 53 74 53 / 20 20 20 20 20 TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 68 99 68 97 69 / 20 10 20 10 20 SILVER CITY 63 93 64 91 63 / 20 10 20 10 20 DEMING 71 101 71 100 70 / 20 10 20 10 20 LORDSBURG 70 100 70 99 70 / 20 10 20 10 20 && .EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. && 21/25
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM 246 PM MDT FRI AUG 13 2010 NMZ022>025-030>032-TXZ055-056-142100- SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS/LOWER GILA REGION-SIERRA COUNTY LAKES REGION- TULAROSA BASIN/SOUTHERN DESERT-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS- SOUTHWEST DESERT/BOOTHEEL-SOUTHWEST DESERT/MIMBRES BASIN- SOUTHERN DESERT-EL PASO-HUDSPETH- 246 PM MDT FRI AUG 13 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY. MODERATE TO BRIEFLY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE IN ANY STORM. A FEW STORMS MAY APPROACH SEVERE LEVELS. NO WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS ARE ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH MONDAY. MODERATE TO BRIEFLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN SOME STORMS...BUT NO WIDESPREAD FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED. ANY STORM CAN PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. TEMPERATURES WILL RUN 5 TO 9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY WITH NEAR RECORD AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY OBSERVED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OR FLOODING TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THIS OFFICE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX 251 PM MDT FRI AUG 13 2010 TXZ055-056-132130- EL PASO TX-HUDSPETH TX- 251 PM MDT FRI AUG 13 2010 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THREATENING SOUTHERN EL PASO AND HUDSPETH COUNTIES THROUGH 330 PM MDT... AT 242 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR HORIZON CITY...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. RAINFALL RATES FROM .5 TO 1.2 INCHES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR MAY CAUSE BRIEF LOW AREA FLOODING. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION AND AVOID AREAS WHERE WATER IS PONDING OR CROSSING ROADWAYS. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... MISSION VALLEY... EAST EL PASO... HORIZON CITY... FABENS... SIERRA BLANCA... FORT HANCOCK... LOMA LINDA... FORT QUITMAN... ESPERANZA... ACALA... QUITMAN CANYON... BRIEF TORRENTIAL RAIN MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. NOVLAN
The El Paso radar (KEPZ), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:19 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported 4 light poles blown down by high winds near mile marker 49 on Interstate 10. Extensive hail covered the ground and 0.49 inches of rain was reported in 20 minutes at Fabens Elementary School.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2010
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 256900.