Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2012

EF0 tornado, Suniland to Nell, Texas, May 10, 2012

Name: EF0 tornado, Suniland to Nell, Texas, May 10, 2012
Start: 2012-05-10T18:46:00.000Z
End: 2012-05-10T18:47:00.000Z
Location: Suniland to Nell, Texas

From Suniland to Nell, this EF0 tornado ran 0.0 miles across Live Oak County on May 10, 2012, touching down at 1:46 PM CDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating: EF0
Date: May 10, 2012
Touchdown: 1:46 PM CDT (18:46 UTC)
Lifted: 1:47 PM CDT (18:47 UTC)
On the ground: 1 minutes
Path length: 0.0 miles (0.0 km)
Path width: 10 yards (9 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Live Oak County
Touchdown point: 28.586, -98.266
Lift-off point: 28.587, -98.266
Record number: 1205101246-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A strongly unstable air mass developed over South Texas in advance of a stalled frontal boundary over south-central Texas on May 10th. As a strong upper level low pressure system over northern Mexico approached the region providing strong shear in the atmosphere, an outbreak of supercell thunderstorms occurred across South Texas producing an unprecedented 16 tornadoes. The number of tornadoes is a record for a single day for a non-tropical event in South Texas. All of the tornadoes were weak with the strongest tornado collapsing a grain elevator west of Taft and damaging several homes in a subdivision north of Taft in the evening.||Severe storms started early in the morning in the western Brush Country. Several long track supercell storms moved across the Brush Country and portions of the Coastal Bend during the day. Most of the tornadoes occurred with these storms in the afternoon and early evening. The storms evolved into a large squall line that moved across the Coastal Plains during the evening hours. The squall line produced winds of 70 to 90 mph causing extensive tree damage and localized property damage. The episode of severe weather ended over the Gulf of Mexico after midnight. Damage estimates from the severe weather episode were in the millions of dollars for South Texas.||Several storms moved across the same area for hours during the event. Very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding near Cotulla and in the cities of Kingsville, Beeville, and Freer.

Spotters reported a tornado briefly touched down to the south-southeast of Whitsett.

Storm chasers observed a brief tornado just south of Whitsett. The tornado damaged large trees and a mobile home and uprooted a hay shed. This damage was observed just east of Highway 281 about a half of a mile southeast of Whitsett.

Storm Chasers observed a brief rope tornado on the ground for about 1 minute in an open field. No damage was observed.

Spotters reported a tornado briefly touched down south of Nell.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

27 minutes of warning. NWS CRP issued a tornado warning for this county at 18:19 UTC, 27 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 19:00 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 16:43 UTC and running to 00:52 UTC.

Issued (UTC)	Expired	Product	Office
10:47 UTC	16:43 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	CRP
16:43 UTC	00:52 UTC	Tornado Watch	CRP
17:23 UTC	17:35 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CRP
18:19 UTC	19:00 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
18:45 UTC	19:30 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
19:28 UTC	20:15 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
19:40 UTC	20:15 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
20:04 UTC	23:00 UTC	Flash Flood Warning	CRP
20:05 UTC	15:07 UTC	Flash Flood Watch	CRP
20:18 UTC	21:00 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
20:47 UTC	21:30 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CRP
20:59 UTC	21:45 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
21:01 UTC	21:30 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
21:45 UTC	22:45 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CRP
22:23 UTC	22:40 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
22:25 UTC	22:42 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
22:30 UTC	23:15 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CRP
23:15 UTC	00:00 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
23:24 UTC	01:15 UTC	Flash Flood Warning	CRP
00:05 UTC	00:45 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
00:43 UTC	01:30 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
00:52 UTC	06:58 UTC	Tornado Watch	CRP
00:53 UTC	01:30 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP
00:59 UTC	03:00 UTC	Flash Flood Warning	CRP
01:13 UTC	03:15 UTC	Flash Flood Warning	CRP
01:16 UTC	02:15 UTC	Tornado Warning	CRP

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 16:27 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Corpus Christi, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 10, 12:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 12:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1228 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

.DISCUSSION...TORNADO WATCH 271 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF S TX
AND THE ADJACENT NEARSHORE WATERS UNTIL 8 PM. THE AIRMASS IS
BECOMING MORE FAVORABLE FOR SVR/TOR THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO
INCREASED INSTABILITY/SHEAR AND APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM.
HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO EXPECTED WITH 1 TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS ON
AVERAGE AND ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 3 TO 4 INCHES. LOCALIZED
FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED...HOWEVER WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS NOT
ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME DUE TO STORMS MOVING AT A FAST PACE. ALSO
SEE AVIATION SECTION BELOW.

&&

.AVIATION...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR ALL OF S
TX. CONDITIONS WILL BE A MIX OF VFR TO IFR DUE TO ONGOING TSRA'S.
TSRA'S WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT AND INTO FRI AS THE MAIN UPPER
LOW CURRENTLY OVER BIG BEND CONTINUES TO MOVE E AND EMBEDDED
SHORT WAVES ROTATING AROUND THE LOW...TRACK ACROSS S TX.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1010 AM CDT THU MAY 10 2012/

DISCUSSION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 270 REMAINS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 1 PM. CURRENT SVR/TOR REMAINS ISOLD OVER THE W CWA AND IS
MOVG NE AND E. BASED ON WV SATELLITE IMAGERY...THE AREA IS BEING
TAKEN OVER BY A BROAD AREA OF MID/UPPER LEVEL DRYING...WHICH WILL ALLOW
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT TO DESTABILIZE FURTHER AHEAD OF THE NEXT ROUND
OF SVR WX. A N TO S ORIENTED LINE OF ENHANCED CU EXTENDS FROM
ANNAROSE TO ALICE AND PREMONT...AND IS MOVG INTO A MORE UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT. MAY BEGIN TO SEE CONVECTION FIRING ALONG THIS LINE
IN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. BASED ON BOTH WV AND VISIBLE
SATELLITE...THE NEXT SHORT WAVE THAT IS ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE
MAIN UPPER LOW...IS LOCATED NEAR THE BIG BEND WITH CONVECTION JUST
E OF BIG BEND. AM EXPECTING THIS NEXT WAVE TO APPROACH THE W CWA
BY EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON AND THE EASTERN CWA BY LATE AFTERNOON
INTO THE EVENING. WILL LIKELY SHIFT THE 60-80 POPS FARTHER E FOR
THIS AFTERNOON AND KEEP THE CATEGORICAL POPS AS IS FOR THIS EVENING.

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 652 AM CDT THU MAY 10 2012/

DISCUSSION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 270 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM
CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR MOST OF SOUTH TEXAS. UPDATED PRODUCTS.

AVIATION...FOR THE 12Z TAFS...CONVECTION FIRING UP THIS MORNING
OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS DUE TO AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE. EXPECTING A CONTINUATION OF THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP
THIS MORNING...WITH A SECOND ROUND BY EARLY AFTERNOON CONTINUING
ON THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION RIGHT
NOW AND EXPECTING COVERAGE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE EVENING...WILL
CONTINUE MENTION OF THUNDER THROUGH THE ENTIRE PERIOD...WITH A
LATE START FOR VCT. WITH A SEVERE WATCH IN PLACE...THERE IS THE
POSSIBILITY THAT THE STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAJOR THREAT. CEILINGS
WILL VARY FROM MVFR/VFR WITH ANY APPROACHING STORMS.

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 541 AM CDT THU MAY 10 2012/

SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY)...A POTENT UPPER LEVEL LOW
CURRENTLY SITUATED OVER FAR WEST TEXAS IS FIRING UP CONVECTION
ACROSS WEST TEXAS. THIS SYSTEM COMBINED WITH THE SURFACE LOW ALONG
THE SOUTHERN COAST WILL AIDE IN THE EXPECTED CONVECTION FOR TODAY
THROUGH FRIDAY. A STRENGTHENING SOUTHEASTERLY LOW LEVEL JET WILL
FUEL THE SYSTEM PUMPING IN GULF MOISTURE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. CURRENT
GOES SOUNDING IMAGERY IS SHOWING ROUGHLY 1.5 INCH PWATS OVER THE
AREA...WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS FURTHER WEST AND SOUTH WHICH SHOULD ENTER
THE AREA AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. CURRENTLY...A S/W DISTURBANCE
ROUNDING THE BOTTOM OF THE MAIN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS ENTERING ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN TIP OF TEXAS...AIDING IN MORNING CONVECTION...AND
SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THROUGH THE MORNING. THE BIGGER FOCUS
COMES IN TO PLAY WITH THE UPPER LOW THAT WILL SHIFT FARTHER INTO
TEXAS...BEFORE BEING PULLED NORTHEASTWARD LATE TONIGHT INTO
FRIDAY. A COUPLE OF THINGS HAVE BEEN MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY WITH THE
TRACKING OF THE PROGRESSION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER LOW...ONE
BEING THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER AND THE SECOND BEING THE
HEAVY RAIN THREAT. AS FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER...MULTIPLE WEATHER
INGREDIENTS CONTINUE TO COME TOGETHER FOR TODAY...ESPECIALLY FOR
THIS LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS. MODELS
CONTINUE TO SHOW SPLIT FLOW ALOFT...WITH PRESSURE HEIGHT FALLS AND
COOLING TEMPERATURES. THE STRENGTHENING UPPER LEVEL JET OVER THE
AREA WILL ALSO AIDE IN THE INCREASED SHEARING FROM 0-6KM TO
45-50KTS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. WITH ENOUGH LIFT AND SHEARING...
THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE REMAINS OVER SOUTH TEXAS...WITH DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAJOR THREATS. CAN NOT RULE OUT AN
ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO...PARTICULARLY OVER THE COASTAL LOCATIONS
WHERE HIGHER HELICITY VALUES REMAIN. AS FOR THE HEAVY RAINFALL...
WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE OVER THE AREA...STRONG SLOW MOVING STORMS
MAY PRODUCE A STORM WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1-2 INCHES...WITH
ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS. HOWEVER...STORM MOTION IS SHOWING AN
INCREASE IN SPEED EASTWARDLY AS TIME PROGRESSES THIS EVENING...
WHICH MAY HELP REDUCE THE TIMING A STRONG STORM WOULD BE OVER THE
AREA. AREAS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR
ABUNDANT RAINFALL. EXPECTING THE EVENTS TO OCCUR ESPECIALLY OVER
THE WEST DURING THE MORNING TO LATE MORNING HOURS...EXPANDING EAST
AS THE DAY PROGRESSES...WITH THE MAIN EVENT OCCURRING BY THIS LATE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CONTINUED INFLUENCE FROM THE UPPER LOW WILL
ALLOW FOR STORMS TO REMAIN A POSSIBILITY THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT
HOURS INTO FRIDAY.

LONG TERM (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...DETERMINING HOW LONG
TO KEEP RAIN IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE EXTENDED
IS MAIN CONCERN. PERIOD WILL BEGIN WITH THE UPPER LOW OVER NORTH
CENTRAL TEXAS AT 00Z SATURDAY. MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS
THE VICTORIA AREA WITH PWATS AROUND 1.5 INCHES. WILL KEEP THE
HIGHEST POPS IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE CWA TAPERING OFF TO 20
POPS OVER THE WESTERN CWA. CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BE
WINDING DOWN BY SATURDAY AS UPPER TROUGH PASSES TO THE EAST. WILL
KEEP SOME LOW END POPS OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA...ROUGHLY
ALONG AND EAST OF A HIGHWAY 281 LINE. LATEST NAM GENERATES SOME MORE
QPF AS SHORTWAVE ROTATES THROUGH THE AREA. NOT CONFIDENT ON THIS
SCENARIO AND HAVE CONTINUED TREND OF PUSHING CONVECTION OFF THE
COAST. AT OR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTH TEXAS
THIS WEEKEND...WITH 80S IN MOST LOCATIONS BOTH SAT/SUN. MODELS
INDICATE THE NEXT UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST OUT OF
EASTERN NEW MEXICO/WEST TEXAS ON TUESDAY. THE GFS REMAINS MORE
AGGRESSIVE WITH UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM AND CHANCES FOR CONVECTION WHILE
THE EUROPEAN IS WEAKER WITH UPPER TROUGH. FOR NOW...HELD ON TO THE
LOW END POPS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. WOULD LIKE TO SEE BETTER
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MODELS BEFORE INCLUDING ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF
SHOWERS AND STORMS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CORPUS CHRISTI    85  72  83  68  84  /  70  90  60  20  20
VICTORIA          83  69  79  64  81  /  70  90  60  40  30
LAREDO            85  72  88  69  89  /  90  70  30  20  10
ALICE             82  70  85  66  86  /  80  90  50  20  20
ROCKPORT          82  74  82  71  81  /  70  90  70  30  20
COTULLA           80  67  83  65  86  /  90  80  30  20  10
KINGSVILLE        85  71  84  67  85  /  70  90  60  20  20
NAVY CORPUS       83  74  82  70  82  /  60  90  60  30  20

&&

.CRP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
GM...NONE.

&&

TE/81...SHORT TERM
GW/86...LONG TERM

Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 12:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1207 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

TXZ229>234-239>247-111715-
LA SALLE-MCMULLEN-LIVE OAK-BEE-GOLIAD-VICTORIA-WEBB-DUVAL-
JIM WELLS-KLEBERG-NUECES-SAN PATRICIO-ARANSAS-REFUGIO-CALHOUN-
1207 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE
TEXAS COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT MOST OF SOUTH TEXAS UNTIL
8 PM FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE ADJACENT NEARSHORE WATERS. LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES WILL BE MAIN THREATS.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH 1
TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN POSSIBLE...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG ON FRIDAY WITH SMALL HAIL
AND GUSTY WINDS. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY
NIGHT AND TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TODAY ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS.

GMZ230-235-250-255-270-275-111715-
BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS-
BAYS AND WATERWAYS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO PORT O'CONNOR-
COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT
20 NM-WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT ARANSAS FROM 20 TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM PORT ARANSAS TO MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL FROM 20 TO
60 NM-
1207 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH TEXAS AND THE MIDDLE
TEXAS COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE BAYS AND NEAR SHORE WATERS
UNTIL 8 PM. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES
WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS. THE THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY WITH SMALL HAIL
AND GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TODAY ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS.

TE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 10, 12:51 PM CDT, 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1251 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

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

1240 PM     TORNADO          RICARDO                 27.42N 97.91W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   EMERGENCY MNGR

            REPORT OF TORNADO NEAR RICARDO. MAGNITUDE UNKNOWN AT THIS
            TIME.

&&

ANIEVES

Local storm report, May 10, 12:58 PM CDT, 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1258 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

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

1252 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     12 S TILDEN             28.28N 98.54W
05/10/2012                   MCMULLEN           TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            DEPUTIES REPORTING FUNNEL CLOUD AND MONITORING

&&

DVOGELSA

Local storm report, May 10, 1:11 PM CDT, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
111 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

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

1252 PM     FLASH FLOOD      KINGSVILLE              27.51N 97.86W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SOME INTERSECTIONS IN KINGSVILLE BECOMING IMPASSABLE.
            WATER COMING UP OVER AREAS OF KING STREET.

&&

DVOGELSA

Local storm report, May 10, 1:31 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
131 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

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

1252 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     10 ESE KINGSVILLE       27.45N 97.71W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   NWS EMPLOYEE

&&

DVOGELSA

Local storm report, May 10, 1:43 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
143 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

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

1252 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     10 SE BISHOP            27.49N 97.67W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   NWS EMPLOYEE

            ROTATING STORM...STILL NO CONFIRMATION IF FUNNEL HAS
            REACHED THE GROUND

&&

DVOGELSA

Local storm report, May 10, 1:44 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX
144 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2012

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

0520 AM     HAIL             3 WNW ORVIL             27.65N 99.54W
05/10/2012  E0.75 INCH       WEBB               TX   COCORAHS

0615 AM     HAIL             14 SSE ENCINAL          27.86N 99.26W
05/10/2012  E0.75 INCH       WEBB               TX   COCORAHS

            HAIL FELL FOR 10 MINUTES AT CALLAHAN RANCH

1034 AM     TSTM WND DMG     SE WOODWARD             28.53N 99.29W
05/10/2012                   LA SALLE           TX   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MOBILE HOME FLIPPED NEAR WOODWARD ON RANCH RD 469.
            POSSIBLE PEOPLE TRAPPED INSIDE.

1045 AM     FLASH FLOOD      5 NW COTULLA            28.49N 99.29W
05/10/2012                   LA SALLE           TX   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ALONG FM468 NEAR THE WOODWARD AREA...TWO FEET DEEP WATER
            OVER THE ROAD. ROAD IS NOW CLOSED.

1240 PM     TORNADO          RICARDO                 27.42N 97.91W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   EMERGENCY MNGR

            REPORT OF TORNADO NEAR RICARDO. MAGNITUDE UNKNOWN AT THIS
            TIME.

1242 PM     HAIL             KINGSVILLE              27.51N 97.86W
05/10/2012  E1.00 INCH       KLEBERG            TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            6TH AND KING STREET

1245 PM     HAIL             KINGSVILLE              27.51N 97.86W
05/10/2012  E1.00 INCH       KLEBERG            TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL AT KINGSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

1252 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     10 ESE KINGSVILLE       27.45N 97.71W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   NWS EMPLOYEE

1252 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     12 S TILDEN             28.28N 98.54W
05/10/2012                   MCMULLEN           TX   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            DEPUTIES REPORTING FUNNEL CLOUD AND MONITORING

1252 PM     FLASH FLOOD      KINGSVILLE              27.51N 97.86W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SOME INTERSECTIONS IN KINGSVILLE BECOMING IMPASSABLE.
            WATER COMING UP OVER AREAS OF KING STREET.

0135 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     10 SE BISHOP            27.49N 97.67W
05/10/2012                   KLEBERG            TX   NWS EMPLOYEE

            ROTATING STORM...STILL NO CONFIRMATION IF FUNNEL HAS
            REACHED THE GROUND

&&

DVOGELSA

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), 12:00Z

6.8 hours before the tornado, 132 km from the path. May 10, 2012.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1593 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 2596 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 779 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.9
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), 00:00Z

5.2 hours after it, 132 km from the path. May 11, 2012.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 2214 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -8 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 2442 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 204 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 3.4
Supercell composite: 14.5
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Pleasanton (PEZ), 48 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
16:55 UTC	67.64	65.48	60° 14 kt	21	1010.8	VCTSRA
17:15 UTC	67.28	65	70° 13 kt	22	1010.8	TSRA
17:35 UTC	66.2	63.68	40° 14 kt	19	1010.8	+TSRA
17:55 UTC	66.56	64.76	40° 14 kt	23	1010.2	TSRA
18:15 UTC	66.56	64.58	40° 15 kt		1010.2	+TSRA
18:35 UTC	67	64.76	20° 5 kt	17	1010.2	+TSRA
18:55 UTC			60° 9 kt		1009.8	TS
19:15 UTC	67.46	65.66	50° 10 kt	16	1009.1	-VCTSRA
19:35 UTC	68	65.84	50° 10 kt	17	1009.1	-RA
19:55 UTC	69	66	60° 10 kt	15	1008.8
20:15 UTC	69	65.66	60° 10 kt	14	1008.8	-VCTSRA
20:35 UTC	69.8	66.74	60° 10 kt		1008.1	-VCTSRA

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 18:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Report	Where	County	Remark
17:25 UTC	TSTM WND DMG	6 W Falls City	Wilson, TX	EXTENSIVE CROP DAMAGE IN WILSON COUNTY
17:52 UTC	FUNNEL CLOUD	12 S Tilden	Mcmullen, TX	DEPUTIES REPORTING FUNNEL CLOUD AND MONITORING
18:30 UTC	FUNNEL CLOUD	10 Nnw Three Rivers	Live Oak, TX	LARGE RAPIDLY ROTATING WALL CLOUD...BETWEEN 130 AND 145 PM CDT
18:48 UTC	TORNADO	5 Se Whitsett	Live Oak, TX	REPORT OF TORNADO...UNCONFIRMED...MAGNITUDE UNKNOWN.
18:51 UTC	TORNADO	8 Nnw Ray Point	Live Oak, TX	SMALL ROPE TORNADO WAS DOWN FOR ABOUT A MINUTE...HAS LIFTED
18:55 UTC	TSTM WND DMG	Whitsett	Live Oak, TX	SHED BLOWN DOWN AND LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN AS WELL.
19:15 UTC	FLASH FLOOD	Poth	Wilson, TX	THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED 5 INCHES OF RAIN NEAR POTH PROMPTING THE NEED FOR HIGH WATER RESCUES
19:23 UTC	HAIL 1.75	1 N Tilden	Mcmullen, TX	GOLF BALL HAIL NEAR HIGHWAY 16.
19:30 UTC	HEAVY RAIN 2.46	Jourdanton	Atascosa, TX
19:32 UTC	TORNADO	5 Ssw Nell	Live Oak, TX	BREIFLY ON GROUND
19:55 UTC	FLASH FLOOD	8 N Pleasanton	Atascosa, TX	DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INDICATES FM 536 NORTH OF PLEASANTON IS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS
20:05 UTC	FLASH FLOOD	8 Nne Pleasanton	Atascosa, TX	DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INDICATES HEAVY RAIN HAS CAUSED LOW WATER CROSSINGS TO FLOOD ALONG FM 1784
21:25 UTC	FLASH FLOOD	Poth	Wilson, TX	SMALL ROADS CLOSED COUNTY WIDE IN WILSON COUNTY DUE TO FLOODING

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2012 tornado in Texas Every tornado in Texas since 1950 Warnings in force in Texas now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 10, 2012

18 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 10	9:46 AM CDT	EF0	La Salle, TX	10.3	75	2	$50,000
May 10	12:40 PM CDT	EF0	Kleberg, TX	0.1	50
May 10	1:25 PM CDT	EF0	Wilson, TX	0.3	10
May 10	2:04 PM CDT	EF0	Live Oak, TX	0.8	50		$50,000
May 10	2:08 PM CDT	EF0	Live Oak, TX	0.5	50
May 10	2:20 PM CDT	EF0	Live Oak, TX	0.0	20
May 10	3:56 PM CDT	EF0	Bee, TX	0.3	50
May 10	3:58 PM CDT	EF0	Bee, TX	0.3	50
May 10	4:02 PM CDT	EF0	Bee, TX	0.9	75
May 10	4:10 PM CDT	EF0	Live Oak, TX	0.1	50
May 10	5:30 PM CDT	EF2	Colorado, TX	0.6	150	8	$500,000
May 10	7:14 PM CDT	EF0	Live Oak, TX	4.9	100
May 10	8:45 PM CDT	EF0	Live Oak, TX	0.4	50
May 10	10:20 PM CDT	EF0	Nueces, TX	1.7	75		$100,000
May 10	10:30 PM CDT	EF1	San Patricio, TX	7.5	150		$500,000
May 10	10:52 PM CDT	EF0	Refugio, TX	3.7	150		$30,000
May 10	11:17 PM CDT	EF0	Aransas, TX	1.1	50		$2,000
May 10	11:59 PM CDT	EF0	Jim Hogg, TX	0.1	10

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.