Severe weather Tuesday may 13th...30% hatched area already :

[Ed Mahmoud]

Second cell did produce some interesting weather near America's Best Public University.

1230 AM HAIL 1 NNW AUSTIN 30.29N 97.75W
05/15/2008 M1.75 INCH TRAVIS TX TRAINED SPOTTER

25TH AND LEON. BROKE APARTMENT WINDOW.


1235 AM HAIL 3 NE AUSTIN 30.30N 97.71W
05/15/2008 M1.75 INCH TRAVIS TX PUBLIC

I35 AT 45TH


1239 AM HAIL 3 NE AUSTIN 30.30N 97.71W
05/15/2008 M2.75 INCH TRAVIS TX PUBLIC

45TH AND I35


1245 AM HAIL 3 NNE AUSTIN 30.31N 97.73W
05/15/2008 E1.75 INCH TRAVIS TX BROADCAST MEDIA

45TH AND SPEEDWAY


1245 AM HAIL 2 ENE AUSTIN 30.29N 97.71W
05/15/2008 E4.00 INCH TRAVIS TX PUBLIC

MANOR AT MERRIE LYNN AVE WINDOWS BROKE OUT OF HOME


0100 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 NE AUSTIN 30.29N 97.72W
05/15/2008 TRAVIS TX BROADCAST MEDIA

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREES DOWN. POWER OUTAGES CENTRAL
AUSTIN AND UT AREA

[Portastorm]

The downtown area by the Capitol (where I work) and just south of the UT area ... looks like a tornado roared through. There are many small limbs and branches in the streets. And sadly, we have several huge, ancient oak trees that were uprooted on the Capitol grounds.

Early damage estimates in the Austin area from the storms is about $125 million dollars in damage!

[Ed Mahmoud]

I-10 area Northwards pretty socked in, but nice clearing in South Texas.


Winds are light and kind of chaotic in South Texas, with a fair share of North winds even in the RGV, but with temps near/in the low 80sF (around 27ºC) and dewpoints in the 60s and low 70s (about 20 to 22º), the actual front hasn't made it, and while last nights storms might have calmed things down for a while, mid-May sunshine with clear skies should reload the atmosphere South of I-10.


The Corpus Christi morning sounding shows a weaker cap that mornings past, and fair instability, that should only increase with insolation.

[gboudx]

A guy on another forum I frequent reported a tornado in Watson, La, which is on the NE side of Baton Rouge.

[Ed Mahmoud]

0634 AM TORNADO 1 S LAFAYETTE 30.20N 92.03W
05/15/2008 LAFAYETTE LA TRAINED SPOTTER

TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTS EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO
BUILDINGS IN OIL CENTER AREA OF LAFAYETTE. ROOF DAMAGE TO
GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER WITH POWER POLES BROKEN AND LINES
DOWN. WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF BANK. NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN
AREA. POSSIBLE TORNADO.

0634 AM TORNADO 2 SW LAFAYETTE 30.19N 92.05W
05/15/2008 LAFAYETTE LA LAW ENFORCEMENT

ROOFS BLOWN OFF OF HOMES. BARN DESTROYED. SHERIFF REPORTS
15 TO 17 HOMES SUSTAINED DAMAGE. POSSIBLE TORNADO.

0638 AM TSTM WND DMG LAFAYETTE 30.22N 92.03W
05/15/2008 LAFAYETTE LA LAW ENFORCEMENT

MULTIPLE TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
PARTS OF TIN ROOFS BLOWN OFF OF BUILDINGS.

I used to live on Kaliste Saloon in an apartment complex between a really bad Mexican restaurant and a big boiled crawfish place that catered to tourists.

The Mexican restaurant did have two for one frozen margaritas on Monday, and I guess for Cajuns they did the best they could, but Posado's on Ambassador Caffery had much better food.

[Ed Mahmoud]

copied from SE TX/SW LA thread...


.............................................

South Texas temps pushing 90ºF (32ºC), and even well behind the front, in Northwest Texas, dewpoints near/above 50ºF (10º). Hard to pick actual front checking surface obs, because a lot of places have variable or North winds, even in South Texas, but assuming front hasn't reached Houston (thinking front may be marked by leading edge of low clouds on satellite) still have a chance for one more round late afternoon or evening.

SPC does not agree, 11:30 pm CDT SWODY1 has SLIGHT RISK line from about CRP to LRD, and states North winds over much of the state will surpress instability to the Southern-most part of the state. They are paid, and their degrees are in met, and they specialize in severe weather forecasting, so odds are they are right and I am wrong.

But skies are clearing out even in the Houston area, winds are turning back to the South and East along the coast, and dewpoints are in the 70s.

And 17Z ruc forecast soundings indicate almost 2000 Joules/Kg of CAPE and between -25 and -100 J/Kg of CINH, so with a little heating, that CINH should go away assuming the winds have indeed stopped coming from the North, and so any little trigger, the actual front, a weak disturbance, whatever, could still trigger one last decent storm in Houston I'll actually be awake for.

[CrazyC83]

My guess for Lafayette is EF2 based on what I have seen and heard.

One more day tomorrow of possible severe weather, then finally cleanup can begin...not much in sight until at least Memorial Day weekend.

[Ed Mahmoud]

Just stepped outside, lots of humble little cumulus clouds, but not a hint of vertical development, and while it is comfortably warm, the winds are from the North, so even if the front hasn't actually passed here, there is not much convergence with the front.

So I'd guess the trained experts are right, and the interested amateur isn't, and HOU has seen it shot at strong storms for the day.



I haven't seen any pix of the Lafayette oil center. I guess I should visit the KLFY website.

[Ed Mahmoud]

Video link to Lafayette tornado story


Can't quite make out the accent of the reporter in the field.