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Severe Weather 3/12-3/15


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12z HRRR is about as strong of a signal as you are going to get for a regional tornado outbreak...

It shows multiple discrete, long-tracking supercells traversing the Texas panhandle throughout most of this afternoon and evening. Given the background environment, these supercells will almost certainly be producing significant tornadoes at some point during their life-cycles. Damn shame I couldn’t chase today.

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1 hour ago, stormdragonwx said:

Is it a bad assessment to say this looks like 3/18/12 on steroids? This is crazy for March. Feels more like a day in May.

HRRROKC_prec_radar_009.png

HRRROKC_con_uphlysw_009.png

Definitely a different setup, although the time of year and placement of the greatest tornado risk are similar. That event had a broader risk area up and down the high plains. The one similarity would be some bulging of the dryline in the Texas panhandle. 

A key difference is 3/18/12 had a surface low in Wyoming and here we’re looking at a surface low in the Texas panhandle with a focused threat area near and immediately east of the dryline bulge/triple point vicinity. 

Despite some residual cloudiness, CDS has shot up to 68/62 as of 17z. Vernon, TX is up to 75F already. Lubbock is 63F, but you can interpolate that 70s are not far away. Moisture quality is often a concern this early in the season, but not so much today. Mesoanalysis shows a broad area of >8 C/km 700-500mb lapse rates across NW Texas. Wind fields are very favorable. Even though mid/upper level winds are SW, the initiating boundary should be draped NNW-SSE. Surface winds are backed to southeasterly.

Seems to be a fairly solid setup with the only caveat being some storm mode concerns. Even there, you could see a long lived supercell or two, even if cells get a bit clustered.

Let’s see what 2021 has to offer. 

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444   ACUS11 KWNS 131745   SWOMCD   SPC MCD 131744   TXZ000-NMZ000-131945-     MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0163   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK   1144 AM CST SAT MAR 13 2021     AREAS AFFECTED...EAST-CENTRAL NM INTO PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST TX     CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH LIKELY     VALID 131744Z - 131945Z     PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...80 PERCENT     SUMMARY...

 

THE SEVERE THREAT WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE BY EARLY AFTERNOON   ACROSS FAR EAST-CENTRAL NM INTO NORTHWEST TX. SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF   ALL SEVERE HAZARDS ARE POSSIBLE. THE AREA IS BEING MONITORED FOR   WATCH ISSUANCE IN THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS.    

DISCUSSION...AS OF 1730Z, A SURFACE LOW WAS LOCATED TO THE SOUTHWEST   OF CLOVIS, NM. A DRYLINE EXTENDED SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW ACROSS THE   SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS OF NM INTO SOUTHWEST TX. STRONG HEATING   ALONG/AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE AMID THINNING CIRRUS SHIELD OVER WESTERN   PORTIONS OF THE TX SOUTH PLAINS HAS ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO INCREASE   INTO THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S. DEWPOINTS ARE QUICKLY INCREASING INTO   THE LOW 60S ACROSS THE REGION AS WELL. AS A RESULT, INHIBITION IS   QUICKLY ERODING NEAR AND EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW, AND DEEPENING CU   HAS RAPIDLY DEVELOPED LATE THIS MORNING ALONG THE DRYLINE.   THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NEAR THE SURFACE LOW AND NORTH OF   A QUASI-STATIONARY SURFACE BOUNDARY STRETCHING WEST-EAST ACROSS   EAST-CENTRAL NM AND THE TX PANHANDLE. THIS ACTIVITY IS LIKELY   ELEVATED, BUT MAY CONTINUE TO POSE A THREAT FOR NEAR-SEVERE HAIL.

 

    AS THE DRYLINE CONTINUES TO MIX EASTWARD INTO EARLY AFTERNOON,   ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF   HOURS NEAR THE NM/TX BORDER WHERE LITTLE CAPPING REMAINS AND MLCAPE   HAS INCREASED TO 1000-1500 J/KG. THIS ACTIVITY WILL INITIALLY BE   CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTS. VWP DATA FROM KFDX SHOWS A   LONG, STRAIGHT HODOGRAPH WITH WEAK LOW-LEVEL DIRECTIONAL SHEAR.   INITIAL SPLITTING SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED. AS THIS ACTIVITY SHIFTS   EAST/NORTHEAST INTO NORTHWEST TX, LOW LEVEL HODOGRAPHS SHOULD BEGIN   TO ENLARGE AS STORMS ENCOUNTER STRONGER BACKED LOW-LEVEL WINDS. THIS   SHOULD INCREASE TORNADO POTENTIAL AS CELLS PROGRESS EASTWARD INTO A   BETTER LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND MOISTURE ENVIRONMENT.    

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URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 19
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
135 PM CDT Sat Mar 13 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of
East-central New Mexico
Northwest Texas

* Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 135 PM until
700 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible
Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
inches in diameter possible
Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...Initial discrete supercells should develop east-northeast
from the east-central New Mexico and northwest Texas border region.
Tornado and large hail will be the primary hazards.

-

50/30 probs

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Mesoscale Discussion 0165
   NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
   0152 PM CST Sat Mar 13 2021

   Areas affected...eastern portions of the TX Panhandle and TX South
   Plains into far western OK

   Concerning...Severe potential...Tornado Watch likely 

   Valid 131952Z - 132145Z

   Probability of Watch Issuance...95 percent

   SUMMARY...The severe threat will continue to increase through
   mid/late afternoon. Thunderstorms are expected to develop and move
   into the discussion area around 22z. Supercells capable of producing
   strong tornadoes, very large hail and damaging wind gusts are
   expected and a watch will be issued in the next hour.

   DISCUSSION...A thick cirrus shield oriented southwest to northeast
   across the TX South Plains/Panhandle vicinity has limited stronger
   surface heating somewhat this afternoon. Nevertheless, low level
   moisture has continued to increase across the region on strong
   southeasterly low level flow. Steep midlevel lapse rates of 8.0-8.5
   C/km are already in place over the region and are contributing to
   1000-1500 J/kg MLCAPE. Regional VWP data continues to show favorable
   shear for supercell development. While low level hodographs remain
   somewhat small, elongated profiles above 2-3 km indicate favorable
   conditions for very large hail amid steep lapse rates, and hail
   greater than 2 inches in diameter appears likely with the strongest
   cells. Fast-moving cells and strong low level winds also will
   support damaging wind gusts. 

   A narrow corridor has developed from roughly Floyd County TX to
   Wheeler County TX where thinner cirrus has allowed for stronger
   heating. Surface temperatures are around 5-10 degrees warmer in this
   corridor per West TX Mesonet data compared to points to the west.
   Weaker inhibition is noted in 19z Mesoanalysis data, along with
   slightly stronger low level lapse rates. This corridor may become
   more favorable for longer-tracked supercells and strong tornadoes
   later this afternoon. Nevertheless, strong low level shear and a
   moist, unstable environment could support tornadogenesis in any
   semi-discrete cells through early evening.

   ..Leitman/Grams.. 03/13/2021

   ...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

   ATTN...WFO...OUN...LUB...AMA...

   LAT...LON   34859971 34459976 34159994 33890030 33800065 33730113
               33810138 33920148 34050154 34820165 35550162 35910155
               35970146 36080123 36150074 36150041 36030005 35879989
               35509973 34859971 
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13 minutes ago, cheese007 said:

First tor warning southeast of Dalhart

Interestingly surface temperatures seem a bit cool in that area, but higher elevations don't need the same temperatures and dewpoints as lower elevations to get the same amount of SBCAPE, either.  Temperatures on the SE side of that storm are in the mid-to-upper 50s, but it seems like 40s are closer to the storm.

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