PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...80 PERCENT
SUMMARY...THE RISK OF SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF ALL HAZARDS WILL
INCREASE BETWEEN 22-00Z, AND CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. A WATCH WILL
LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR PARTS OF THE AREA WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.
DISCUSSION...THE LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS GRADUALLY
DEEPENING BOUNDARY-LAYER CUMULUS DEVELOPING OVER PARTS OF THE TX
SOUTH PLAINS -- WHERE STEEPENING LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE IMPINGING
ON SHELTERED/INCREASING BOUNDARY-LAYER MOISTURE (UPPER 50S
DEWPOINTS). AS DIURNAL HEATING AND LOW-LEVEL WARM ADVECTION CONTINUE
IN THIS CORRIDOR, ANTECEDENT INHIBITION AT THE BASE OF THE EML
SHOULD ERODE AND SUPPORT CONVECTIVE INITIATION IN THE 22-00Z TIME
FRAME. WHILE UNCERTAIN, ADDITIONAL STORM DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO
POSSIBLE WITHIN ZONES OF SUBTLE DIFFERENTIAL HEATING FARTHER
NORTHEAST IN THE TX PANHANDLE, WHERE THE LOW-LEVEL WARM ADVECTION IS
A BIT STRONGER.
STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES AND THE AFOREMENTIONED MOISTURE WILL
CONTRIBUTE TO MODERATE SURFACE-BASED BUOYANCY, WHICH COMBINED WITH
AROUND 40 KT OF EFFECTIVE SHEAR, WILL FAVOR DISCRETE/SEMI-DISCRETE
SUPERCELLS -- GIVEN GENERALLY WEAK FORCING FOR ASCENT. INITIAL
STORMS WILL POSE A RISK OF LARGE HAIL AND SEVERE GUSTS, THOUGH A
GRADUALLY STRENGTHENING LOW-LEVEL JET AND EXPANDING LOW-LEVEL
HODOGRAPHS WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASING TORNADO RISK INTO THIS
EVENING. THE WEAK FORCING FOR ASCENT AND LINGERING INHIBITION DOES
CAST UNCERTAINTY ON OVERALL TIMING/EVOLUTION OF THE SEVERE RISK,
THOUGH CURRENT THINKING IS THAT A WATCH WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED WITHIN
THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.
..WEINMAN/GUYER.. 03/05/2026