Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 17, 2013

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
343 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013

.SHORT TERM...
DRYLINE IS SHARPENING AND IS LOCATED FROM OLNEY TO BRECKENRIDGE
TO BRADY. THE DRYLINE HAS LIKELY REACHED ITS EASTERN MOST
LOCATION...AS A SURFACE LOW INDUCED BY VERY HOT TEMPERATURES IS
DEEPENING NORTH OF ABILENE. THIS HAS CAUSED SURFACE WINDS TO BEGIN
TO BACK TO THE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NW CWA...WHICH WILL PULL RICH
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CHARACTERIZED BY DEWPOINTS NEAR 70 DEGREES BACK
TO THE WEST. THE COMBINATION OF TEMPS NEAR 100 WITH THESE DEWPOINTS
AND NEARLY DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATES FROM 500MB TO 850MB HAS
PRODUCED AN EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS OUR WESTERN ZONES
THIS AFTERNOON. LOCAL OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS IS DEPICTING SBCAPE
AROUND 3500 J/KG...AND POCKETS OF CAPE OVER 4000 J/KG WILL BE
POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY EVENING. THE STRONG CAP THAT WAS EVIDENT ON
THE MORNING SOUNDING IS CLOSE TO BEING ERODED OVER THE WESTERN
ZONES...OR THE WESTERN 2 COLUMNS OF COUNTIES OF THE CWA. ALONG AND
EAST OF A BOWIE TO GRANBURY TO TEMPLE LINE...OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS
SHOWS CIN WELL ABOVE 200 J/KG AND VIS SATELLITE CONFIRMS THE
PRESENCE OF STRONG CAPPING IN CUMULUS FIELD. WITHOUT UPPER LEVEL
FORCING THIS CAP SHOULD REMAIN...WITH HEATING NOT SUFFICIENT ALONE
TO WEAKEN IT.

CONVECTIVE INITIATION IS NOW OCCURRING SOUTHWEST OF BROWNWOOD AND
CUMULUS IS ORGANIZING TO THE WEST OF BRECKENRIDGE. THIS IS TO
THE WEST OF THE DRY LINE...BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE FAVORED
LOCATION FOR UPWARD MESOSCALE FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH DRYLINES.
OFTEN THE LOW MOISTURE CONTENT BEHIND THE DRY LINE IS NOT
SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE CUMULUS OR PRECIPITATION SO WE CANT SEE THE
LIFT...BUT THIS DRY LINE SEEMS TO HAVE MORE MOISTURE TO WORK WITH.
ONCE THE INFANT UPDRAFTS ARE ADVECTED TO THE MOIST SIDE OF THE DRY
LINE...THEY TAP INTO RICHER MOISTURE AND OFTEN GROW INTO CELLS
THAT RADAR CAN SEE. NEEDLESS TO SAY...CONVECTIVE INITIATION IS A
CERTAINTY AT THIS POINT...BUT COVERAGE OF STORMS WILL BE FAIRLY
LOW DUE TO WEAK UPPER LEVEL FORCING AND THE STRONG CAP. POPS WILL
RANGE FROM 20-40 PERCENT ACROSS THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE CWA.

DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS ON THE LOW SIDE OF WHAT IS TYPICALLY FOUND IN
SUPERCELL ENVIRONMENTS...BUT EXTREME INSTABILITY WILL LIKELY
COMPENSATE. STORM MOTION WILL START OUT EAST BUT AS SUPERCELLS
ORGANIZE AND MATURE THEY WILL LIKELY TURN TO THE SOUTH. THIS
SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT WILL ENHANCE LOW LEVEL STORM RELATIVE
HELICITY...WHICH MAY REACH 150-200 MS/S2 ACROSS THE NW ZONES WHERE
AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT IS GREATEST. HOWEVER THE MAIN THREAT
WILL BE GIANT HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS GIVEN THE EXTREME INSTABILITY
AND LARGE DEWPOINT SPREADS. SPC HAS JUST ISSUED A SEVERE WATCH FOR
THE WESTERN ZONES...AND AGAIN DUE TO THE STRONG CAP AND SOUTHERLY
STORM MOTION BELIEVE ALL SEVERE ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN WEST OF THE
I-35 CORRIDOR. SOME LINGERING AND ELEVATED ACTIVITY MAY IMPACT THE
CENTRAL ZONES LATE TONIGHT...BUT THIS REMAINS A LOW PROBABILITY
AND KEPT POPS OUT OF THE FORECAST.

TR.92

&&

.LONG TERM...
A STRONG CAP WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THROUGH
MONDAY...SO THE CONVECTIVE FORECAST WILL HINGE ON WHETHER FORCING
FROM THE DRY LINE OR UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVES WILL BE PRESENT. THE
DRYLINE WILL HEAD FARTHER WEST SATURDAY...AND ALTHOUGH A WELL
DEFINED SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION...BELIEVE STORM
INITIATION WILL BE WELL NW OF THE CWA. A FEW OF THESE CELLS MAY
TRACK INTO THE NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE CWA SATURDAY
EVENING...BUT WILL KEEP POPS LOW AND AT 20 PERCENT. ON SUNDAY THE
DRY LINE WILL MIX EAST AGAIN AND FLIRT WITH THE NW CWA...AND HAVE
POPS A LITTLE HIGHER...BUT STILL PRIMARILY OVER THE NW ZONES IN
THE AFTERNOON. SINCE THE TAIL END OF THE PLAINS TROUGH WILL PASS
THROUGH THE NORTHERN ZONES SUNDAY NIGHT...CONVECTION MAY SURVIVE
PAST SUNSET AND TRACK ACROSS THE AREA NORTH OF I-20. EXPECT THE
SAME PATTERN ON MONDAY AND POPS ARE SIMILAR TO SUNDAYS. GIVEN THE
INSTABILITY AND SHEAR PROFILES SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ANY
ACTIVITY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. FOR TEMPERATURES...SATURDAY WILL
BE THE WARMEST DAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 90S MOST AREAS...BUT WINDS
WILL INCREASE A BIT SUNDAY AND MONDAY WHICH SHOULD SHAVE A COUPLE
DEGREES...WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S EAST TO MID 90S WEST. LOWS
WILL REMAIN MUGGY AND IN THE LOW-MID 70S...WITH TONIGHT THE
COOLEST DUE TO FEWER CLOUDS AND LIGHTER WINDS.

ON TUESDAY ANOTHER LOBE OF ENERGY WILL ROTATE AROUND THE PLAINS
TROUGH AND HELP PROPEL A WEAK COLD FRONT SOUTH INTO THE AREA. THE
FRONT/DRYLINE COMBINATION WILL REACH THE NW CWA AND BECOME A FOCUS
FOR CONVECTION BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG FORCING ASSOCIATED
WITH THE UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL ENHANCE LIFT...AND EXPECT
SCATTERED CONVECTION TO OCCUR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND WORK
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. HAVE BUMPED POPS UP TO CHANCE AS THIS
WILL BE THE BEST DAY FOR RAIN CHANCES. AGAIN...THERE IS A SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT WITH THIS CONVECTION AS WELL.

THE FRONT WILL NOT BE VERY STRONG...AND WINDS MAY NOT SPEND MUCH
OR ANY TIME FROM THE NORTH...BUT THE AXIS OF BEST MOISTURE AND
INSTABILITY SHOULD GET PUSHED SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA. WILL KEEP A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF CONVECTION WEDNESDAY...BUT THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT
EXPECTED TO BE VERY SIGNIFICANT. TEMPS WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER AS
HEIGHTS LOWER...AND THE SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR WILL HELP LOWS FALL TO
NEAR NORMAL. HAVE KEPT THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST DRY AS UPPER
LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE AREA...WHICH IS WELL AGREED UPON BY
EXTENDED GUIDANCE.

TR.92

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX  71  92  72  90  72 /  10   5   5  10  20
WACO, TX              70  92  72  91  73 /  10   5   5  10  10
PARIS, TX             69  88  70  87  68 /  10  10   5   5  20
DENTON, TX            70  93  72  90  72 /  10  10  10  10  30
MCKINNEY, TX          69  90  71  89  71 /  10   5   5   5  20
DALLAS, TX            73  93  74  91  74 /  10   5   5  10  20
TERRELL, TX           69  90  70  91  71 /  10   5   5   5  10
CORSICANA, TX         70  90  70  89  73 /  10   5   5   5  10
TEMPLE, TX            69  92  71  91  72 /  20  10   5  10  10
MINERAL WELLS, TX     71  96  69  94  70 /  20  10  20  20  20

&&

.FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

92/92

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
326 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013

TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-181130-
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-
326 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING WEST OF A LINE FROM JACKSBORO TO LAMPASAS. THE ATMOSPHERE
WILL BE VERY UNSTABLE AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE GIANT HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY WEST OF A
GAINESVILLE TO WEATHERFORD TO GOLDTHWAITE LINE. SOME SEVERE
STORMS ARE POSSIBLE.

THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND MONDAY GENERALLY
NORTHWEST OF A LAMPASAS TO ATHENS LINE. SEVERE STORMS ARE
POSSIBLE EACH DAY.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS TUESDAY
THROUGH THURSDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE EACH DAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE WEST OF A LINE FROM JACKSBORO TO
LAMPASAS.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
300 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013

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

0720 PM     HAIL             2 W ALVORD              33.37N  97.71W
05/15/2013  E2.75 INCH       WISE               TX   PUBLIC

            JUST WEST OF ALVORD