MD80S ACFT ENCOUNTERED POTENTIALLY SEVERE WX AND DEVIATED PRIOR TO OBTAINING CLRNC FROM THE CTR.

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THE ROUTING FILED FOR THIS FLT WAS AUS CQY RZC J105 BOS; WHICH WOULD HAVE AVOIDED A COLD FRONT WITH SEVERE TSTM WX ON DEP; ALSO AVOIDING TSTMS ENRTE IN EAST TX. PDC REVISED CLRNC WAS AUS 08360 TNV CQY. AS CAPT; I VERIFIED WITH DISPATCH THAT THIS ROUTING WOULD PENETRATE THE WX AND WAS NOT GOOD. I CALLED CLRNC; STATING THAT WE COULD NOT ACCEPT THE REVISED SEGMENT DUE TO WX. CLRNC STATED THAT FLTS HAD DEPARTED AND HAD BEEN ABLE TO DEVIATE ON A 060 DEG HDG. THIS WAS 10 MINS PRIOR TO DEP. THERE WAS AN IMPLICATION THAT A MAJOR DELAY WAS NOT NECESSARY THAT WE COULD ACCEPT THE CLRNC AND DEVIATE ON DEP. THE RWY 31L ILS WAS OUT AND RWY 31L WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO DEPART. WE DEPARTED RWY 13R ON A 080 DEG HDG. THERE WAS A BROKEN AREA OF MEDIUM CELLS AT 20 NM AND N OF OUR HDG; WITH A LARGE GAP; THEN VERY LARGE CELLS. DEP FREQ WAS BUSY; AND ON CONTACT WE WERE GIVEN A 040 DEG HDG; DIRECTLY TOWARD THE BROKEN AREA OF CELLS. THERE WAS NOT ROOM TO MANEUVER CONSIDERING THE CELL'S SIZE; SPACING; SPD AND VOLATILITY. WE INITIALLY TURNED TO 040 DEGS; BUT 10 NM FROM THE WX HAD TO TURN BACK TO HDG 100 DEGS FOR THE ABOVE REASONS. WE ADVISED DEP UNABLE HDG 040 DEGS AND WERE TOLD TO CONTACT ZHU AND INFORM THEM. THIS FLT TURNED WITHOUT CLRNC DUE TO LACK OF TIME FOR CLRNC. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO AVOID WHAT HAPPENED; AND HOPE FOR MORE ATC COORD AND HELP.