A mesoscale cluster of thunderstorms affected the area during the morning hours of May 17th.
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 FWD wrote it up.
A mesoscale cluster of thunderstorms affected the area during the morning hours of May 17th.
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 17, 2:54 AM CST, 3 hours 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 354 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013 .DISCUSSION... ...A FEW SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS FAR WESTERN NORTH TEXAS BY EACH EVENING TODAY AND SATURDAY...THEN NORTH OF I-20 LATE SUNDAY... WEATHER FORECAST REMAINS CHALLENGING TODAY INTO THE WEEKEND. WE CONTINUED TO SEE A SUBTLE SURFACE BOUNDARY SITUATED ALONG/NORTH OF HWY 38 THIS MORNING AS EVIDENCED BY THE BACKED/LIGHTER EAST WINDS AND LOWER SURFACE DEW POINTS THIS MORNING...WHILE STRONGER SSE WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH WHERE OCCURRING FROM THE I-20 CORRIDOR INTO CENTRAL TEXAS. SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG WAS OCCURRING ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY...WHILE A SUBTLE DISTURBANCE WAS MOVING ACROSS WITHIN THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE TOP OF THE AREA. SOME AC/ACCAS WAS NOTED ON INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES ALOFT ON THE 00Z FWD SOUNDING AND MODELS. ISOLATED...ELEVATED/HIGH-BASED SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-20/I-30 CORRIDORS. LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ACTIVITY THIS MORNING WITH VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF MEASURABLE RAINFALL EXPECTED. THE SURFACE DRYLINE AND ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE OVER FAR WEST TEXAS WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN AND SLIDE SLOWLY EAST TOWARD OUR FAR W/SW COUNTIES LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVE. STRONG MIXING AND HEATING ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE WILL HELP HIGHS SOAR WELL INTO THE 90S WITH A FEW AREAS TOPPING THE CENTURY MARK WEST OF I-35/I-35W. OUR CAPPING INVERSION WAS ELEVATED AND BASED ABOVE 800MB AND NOT OVERLY STOUT...SO DESPITE THE UPPER RIDGE ARRIVING OVERHEAD...FEEL THE HOT TEMPS WILL MAKE IT BREAKABLE. HIGH-RES WRF/ARW/AND HRRR MODELS ALL HINT AT ISOLATED STORM DEVELOPMENT JUST W/SW OF OUR CWA AT PEAK HEATING AND POTENTIALLY AFFECTING OUR FAR WSW COUNTIES BETWEEN 4 PM AND SUNSET. INSTABILITY WILL BE VERY HIGH WITH MODELS SHOWING 3500-5000 J/KG SBCAPE OR POSSIBLY MORE WITH VERY STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES OVER 8 DEG C/KM. ANY ISOLATED STORMS THAT OCCUR WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE WITH VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURSTS. DESPITE SURFACE DEW POINTS BEING NEAR 70 DEGREES...THE HOT TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN RELATIVELY HIGH BASES AND A LOWER TORNADO THREAT THAN A FEW DAYS AGO. WITH THE UPPER RIDGE OVERHEAD...STORMS WILL DIMINISH IN STRENGTH OR DISSIPATE RAPIDLY AROUND SUNSET WITH LOSS OF HEATING AND THE CAP INTENSIFYING QUICKLY BY LATE EVENING. THE UPPER RIDGE SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA ON SATURDAY WITH LONGWAVE UPPER TROUGH SNAKING OVER THE ROCKIES INTO THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS. THE DRYLINE WILL ACTUALLY MAKE A STRONGER PUSH TOWARD OUR FAR WESTERN COUNTIES BY EARLY EVENING SATURDAY WITH A LITTLE BETTER UPPER SUPPORT. INSTABILITY WILL BE VERY STRONG ONCE AGAIN WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF HWY 281...THEN DIMINISHING QUICKLY AFTER SUNSET WITH THE CAP INTENSIFYING ONCE AGAIN. THE UPPER TROUGH DAMPENS OVER THE CONUS ON SUNDAY WITH STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OCCURRING FROM THE RED RIVER VALLEY NORTH THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS. HAVE MODIFIED BEST CHANCES TO OCCUR NORTH OF I-20 AND INTO THE RED RIVER VALLEY...WITH THE CAP BEING MUCH STRONGER OVER THE SOUTH. DIURNAL SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOWER FOR LATE SUNDAY DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES REGARDING CAP STRENGTH AND SOUTHERN EXTENT OF FORCING. THE BEST SURFACE FOCUS WILL BE ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO BE WELL TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE AREA AS WELL. OTHERWISE IN THE EXTENDED...STAYED WITH PERSISTENCE WITH THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WITH LOW POPS RETURNING BY MID WEEK WITH A COLD FRONT WEAKENING AND STALLING ACROSS THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES. A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL BE MOVING OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS AT THIS TIME AS WELL. IT IS TOO EARLY TO ASSESS ANY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THIS FAR OUT...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO ASSESS THESE POSSIBILITIES IN THE COMING DAYS AHEAD. 05/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 89 72 93 72 88 / 10 10 5 10 10 WACO, TX 92 71 92 71 90 / 20 10 5 10 10 PARIS, TX 82 68 86 69 86 / 10 10 10 10 10 DENTON, TX 86 70 93 71 89 / 10 10 10 10 20 MCKINNEY, TX 84 69 91 69 88 / 10 10 5 10 10 DALLAS, TX 88 72 93 72 90 / 10 10 5 10 10 TERRELL, TX 89 69 90 70 89 / 10 10 5 10 10 CORSICANA, TX 91 70 91 70 89 / 20 10 5 10 10 TEMPLE, TX 91 70 91 71 89 / 10 10 10 10 10 MINERAL WELLS, TX 94 70 96 70 93 / 10 10 10 10 20 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 05/
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 313 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-181100- 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- 313 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING EAST AND SOUTH OF A TEMPLE TO DFW TO CANTON LINE. ALSO...FOG MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE THIS MORNING NORTH OF A GRAHAM TO DENTON TO EMORY LINE. THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SOUTH AND WEST OF AN EASTLAND TO STEPHENVILLE TO TEMPLE LINE. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY WEST OF A BOWIE TO WEATHERFORD TO LAMPASAS LINE. SOME SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEST OF A GATESVILLE TO DALLAS TO SULPHUR SPRINGS LINE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN WITH THESE STORMS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... VERY LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE SOUTH AND WEST OF AN EASTLAND TO STEPHENVILLE TO TEMPLE LINE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HAMPSHIRE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
714 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013
TXZ134-146-171245-
ELLIS TX-NAVARRO TX-
714 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR...
SOUTH CENTRAL ELLIS COUNTY
SOUTHWESTERN NAVARRO COUNTY
AT 713 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF
HILLSBORO OR NEAR ITALY IN FAR SOUTHERN ELLIS COUNTY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
25 MPH.
CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE BLOOMING GROVE...DAWSON AND
ITALY.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...AND
PEA-SIZED HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3182 9669 3195 9682 3207 9689 3206 9693
3215 9701 3217 9702 3224 9686 3198 9651
TIME...MOT...LOC 1213Z 314DEG 23KT 3211 9686The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:29 UTC.
5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A CoCoRaHS observer reported hail up to the size of golf balls 1.3 miles west-northwest of Frost. The hail dented cars and damaged shingles.
Quarter sized hail was reported west of Corsicana off Highway 31.
Golf ball sized hail was reported 1 mile west of Teague.
Penny sized hail was reported between Buffalo and Donie.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2013
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: 444536, 444537, 444538, 444539, 444540.