4/30/07 NOW: TX

[Jeff Snyder]

A beast of a supercell in deep south Texas (east of Loredo) is occurring in an environment of >3000 j/kg MLCAPE and ~600 m2/s2 0-3km SRH (with >20 SCP and >6 SiggyTor). There is little translation of the storm, and the storm-scale processes responsible for off-mean propagation are alive and kicking on that thing... A loop of BR imagery indicates that the bulk of the storm 'tries' to move off to the east, but there's a significant upshear propagation component that is resulting in the supercell remaining nearly stationary or moving very slowly to the SSW. Latest BR2 loop indicates a nice split appears to be occurring (note the "hook" on the northwest side of the storm), but there doesn't appear to be a whole lot of rotation on the lowest tilts at this time.

Latest ob form the site closest to the supercell (ALI) indicates 79/70 with an ESE wind. Yoysa

 

[Erik Perozo]

Jeff I was just wondering if someone was going to start a thread on this. The storm kind of reminds me of the Jarrel TX storm and how it propagated. This storm east of Laredo is definitely in an area that will enhance its life. Storm seems to be nicely rooted on this outflow boundary and in an area of high WAA. SRH's are nice, Low LCL's and LFC's could be better but aren't bad at 1400m. EHI's are really high with 1km and 3km being over 7. Nice storm. I really hope there is a chaser down there taking some good photos of this beast.

 

[Terry Tyler]

probably some serious flooding going on in freer right now, as well as some large hail...storm totall rainfall over 5 inches...

now, i know it has supercell characteristics...but since the storm motion is so slow, isnt the downdraft going to kill it soon? or is the storm so organized it doesnt matter...

 

[Bill Tabor]

Yeah I've been watching that cell. That backward propagation on a boundary usually provides tornado potential, but I'm thinking upper level flow may be too weak. But I'd say it definitely has a shot.

now, i know it has supercell characteristics...but since the storm motion is so slow, isnt the downdraft going to kill it soon? or is the storm so organized it doesnt matter...

It's using the boundary to allow it to propagate into the mean wind flow and increase its storm relative helicity. This actually helps the updraft.

Now it has some kind of bizarre merger going on.

 

[Kenny Drake]

I would love to be chasing these cells. I would probably try for the more northerly one but the meso may be rainwrapped due to the cell to the south. What an interesting past couple of weeks in South TX. I'd say a good explanation for these events would be the onshore flow interacting with the topography. 7PM soundings show decent veering with height. The speed shear is lacking, but the directional shear is obviously making it up for it.

 

[Billy Griffin]

Gees, that's just a MONSTER of a storm south of the border, southwest of Rio Grande City, TX. Huge, all I know to describe it!

 

[Kenny Drake]

Besides that monster hellish-looking cell in Mexico, law enforcement are reporting a tornado ENE of San Angelo...

AT 1016 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO.TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR US-83 NEAR THE CONCHO-RUNNELS COUNTY LINE...

The best wind profiles (still not great by any means) seem to be right over the area this cell is located at. ~45kt 500mb wind out of the SW, 850mb out of the SSW, sfc out of the SE. Speed shear due to the weak 500mb low is lacking, but directional shear is making up for it.

 

[Billy Griffin]

GR2Anaylist showing pretty good rotation on that San Angelo cell just southeast of the town of Ballinger, TX.

 

[Erik Perozo]

I can only imagine what the storm structure on that fat cell in MX looks like. I know IR and WV show a very impressive storm. Looks as though that other beast finally lost its intensity but it did suck up another storm before that, which was rather cool. Hope the guys out close to San Angelo are doing alright. Nice storm up there as well.