I couldn't believe how muggy it got from this morning 'til lunchtime, when I went out. We've got a 72-degree dew point right now ... plenty of water in the air, ready to be rung out!
Fuel for the fire, BIG TIME!
Here's the language from SPC:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 836
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
305 PM CDT WED OCT 18 2006
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL TEXAS
EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 305 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.
HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70
STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 90 MILES WEST OF
HONDO TEXAS TO 25 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF TEMPLE TEXAS. FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).
REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG A SEWD MOVING COLD
FRONT AND PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH ACROSS CENTRAL TX THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS. SURFACE HEATING/MOISTENING HAS RESULTED IN MLCAPE VALUES OF
1500-2000 J/KG IN THE WARM SECTOR...WHILE MID LEVEL FLOW OF 40-50 KT
IS CONTRIBUTING TO SUFFICIENT DEEP LAYER SHEAR FOR ORGANIZED STORMS.
THERE IS SOME QUESTION ABOUT THE MAGNITUDE OF THE SUPERCELL/HAIL
THREAT GIVEN RATHER POOR LAPSE RATES/WARM TEMPERATURES ABOVE 600
MB...AND WEAK LOW-LEVEL FLOW/SHEAR. STILL...THE STRONGER STORMS
COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS AND MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL
THROUGH LATE EVENING.
