An extremely unstable airmass over West Central Texas caused severe thunderstorms to develop rapidly during the afternoon. The storms produced damaging winds and a few large hail reports.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS SJT wrote it up.
An extremely unstable airmass over West Central Texas caused severe thunderstorms to develop rapidly during the afternoon. The storms produced damaging winds and a few large hail reports.
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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 17, 11:30 AM CST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 1230 PM CDT MON MAY 17 2010 .DISCUSSION... SEE 18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION... SEVERE STORMS READY TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST BIG COUNTRY. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AND HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF MOVING ACROSS THE KABI TERMINAL BETWEEN 19Z AND 21Z. THE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OF 50 KNOTS OR GREATER AND LARGE HAIL. OTHERWISE...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. AREAS OF MVFR CIGS WILL RETURN TUESDAY MORNING. 21 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1113 AM CDT MON MAY 17 2010/ UPDATE... SEE UPDATE DISCUSSION BELOW. DISCUSSION... UPDATED ZONES AND GRIDS FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #178 IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM FOR THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. COMPLEX OF STORMS JUST WEST OF A GUTHRIE TO ASPERMONT LINE WILL MOVE EAST-SOUTHEAST INTO THE BIG COUNTRY DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE...WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. 21 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 631 AM CDT MON MAY 17 2010/ DISCUSSION... /SEE BELOW FOR AVIATION DISCUSSION/ AVIATION... SKIES WERE CLEAR AND TEMPERATURES SATURATED THEIR DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER 60S AT 11Z OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TAF SITES. HAVE MVFR CIGS AND IFR TO MVFR VISIBILITIES DEVELOPING THIS MORNING...BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR SITUATION LIKE IN SWEETWATER AND BROWNWOOD WHERE VISIBILITIES PLUMMETED TO LESS THAN 1/4 MILE IN FOG. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE LATE AFTERNOON...BUT BEST CHANCE THIS EVENING...WITH POSSIBLE COMPLEX OF STORMS MOVING SE FROM THE PANHANDLE OR PERMIAN BASIN IN NW FLOW ALOFT. OTHERWISE BROUGHT IN MVFR CIGS TOWARD 10Z AT KSJT...KBBD...AND KJCT. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 342 AM CDT MON MAY 17 2010/ SHORT TERM... MOIST UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES WITH NAM AND GFS INDICATING CAPES OF 1500-2000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON WITH A WEAK CAP. WHILE STORMS LOOK ISOLATED THIS AFTERNOON...COULD SEE A NORTHWEST FLOW MCS THIS EVENING. GFS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE PERMIAN BASIN LATE AFTERNOON...THEN MOVING THEM EAST/SOUTHEAST IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...INTO THE CONCHO VALLEY THIS EVENING AND EVENTUALLY SOUTHWARD ALONG THE I-10 CORRIDOR. ALSO...COULD ALSO SEE ISOLATED STORMS ELSEWHERE TONIGHT...SIMILAR TO THE CLUSTER OF STORMS NEAR ABILENE THIS MORNING. 04 LONG TERM... THERE WERE NO MAJOR CHANGES MADE TO THE GOING FORECAST. THE MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE LOW AMPLITUDE SPLIT FLOW REGIME OVER THE CONUS THIS WEEK WILL TRANSITION TOWARD A HIGHER AMPLITUDE UPPER TROUGH IN THE WESTERN CONUS BY THE WEEKEND. A SOUTHERN STREAM WAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PLAINS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY GRADUALLY RISING UPPER HEIGHTS DOWNSTREAM FROM THE WESTERN TROUGH LATE IN THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE DETAILS TO FOLLOW. CONVECTIVE CHANCES ON TUESDAY STILL REMAIN UNCERTAIN AS MID LEVEL TEMPS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE DURING THE DAY. THERE MAY BE SOME LEFT OVER CONVECTIVE DEBRIS FROM THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS THE BEST CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL BE NORTH OF THE SJT FCST AREA TO THE NORTH OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT THE GFS SHOWS BASICALLY PARALLEL AND JUST SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN IN OUR AREA WILL BE TUESDAY NIGHT AS CONVECTION FROM THE PANHANDLE TRAVELS ALONG THE FRONT TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN TX. THE SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE PLAINS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A DRYLINE WILL MIX EAST INTO WEST CENTRAL TX AND MAY BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...MAINLY OVER MY EASTERN COUNTIES. A STRONGER CAPPING INVERSION SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER MAY KEEP COVERAGE ON THE LOW SIDE...HOWEVER IF ANY STORM FORMS IT WOULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. A WEAK PACIFIC FRONT DROPS SOUTH INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AND MAY ALSO FOCUS SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...MAINLY OVER THE BIG COUNTRY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. RISING UPPER HEIGHTS AND MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES LATE IN THE WEEK ON INTO THE WEEKEND WILL KEEP THINGS DRY OVER W CENTRAL TX WITH HIGHS REMAINING IN THE 90S. LACY && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ABILENE 87 64 85 67 91 / 30 30 20 20 20 SAN ANGELO 89 65 88 68 91 / 30 40 20 10 10 JUNCTION 89 67 87 68 89 / 20 30 20 10 10 && .SJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 1143 AM CDT MON MAY 17 2010 TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139- 140-154-155-168>170-181645- FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO- CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD- TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE- MASON- 1143 AM CDT MON MAY 17 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS THIS MORNING WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST TOWARDS AND INTO WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...REACHING THE BIG COUNTRY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND TRACKING ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY AND THE HEARTLAND LATER TODAY. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS...ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WITH A MOIST UNSTABLE AIR MASS REMAINING OVER THE REGION...AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS INTO WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN THREATS WILL CONTINUE TO BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
856 AM CDT MON MAY 17 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0537 PM TSTM WND DMG MASON 30.75N 99.23W
05/15/2010 MASON TX LAW ENFORCEMENT
*** 1 INJ *** THE DAMAGE WAS FROM MASON TO 2 MILES NORTH
OF MASON. NUMEROUS TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN. AN AUCTION RING
BUILDING WAS DAMAGED IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF MASON.
&&
MCThe Dyess AFB radar (KDYX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:17 UTC.
12 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An emergency manager reported a wind gust estimated to be at least 60 mph.
This thunderstorm wind gust was reported at Dyess Air Force Base.
This thunderstorm wind gust was reported by the KTXS Television Station.
This thunderstorm wind gust was reported at the Abilene ASOS site located at the Abilene Regional Airport.
A tree was reportedly blown down in Abilene at South 14th and Barrow Streets.
Dime size hail was reported at Grape Creek Middle School.
An amateur radio spotter reported this wind gust.
The damaging thunderstorm winds blew shingles off some roofs and broke some tree limbs.
This amateur radio spotter reported this 60 mph wind gust.
A trained amateur radio storm spotter reported an estimated wind gust of 60 mph.
The public reported that two houses lost their roofs and a barn was destroyed near Wall.
The West Texas Mesonet instrument tower located near Wall measured 61 mph.
A storm chaser reporter water over Hawk Avenue near FM 765.
A trained spotter reported three power poles were blown down along Farm to Market Road 765 east of San Angelo.
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, May 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: 234646, 234648, 234630, 234631, 234649, 234650, 234638, 234632, 234633, 234634, 234652, 234640, 234653, 234655, 234635, 234642, 234656, 234629, 234644.