Tornado Watch 279

Issued

May 6, 2003, 11:30 PM CDT (04:30 UTC)

Expired

May 7, 2003, 5:00 AM CDT

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 152 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:32 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

• Mesoscale Discussion 805May 6, 7:48 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 806May 6, 7:53 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 809May 6, 11:08 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 813May 7, 2:27 AM CDT

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 070426
SEL9  
SPC WW 070430
ARZ000-LAZ000-MOZ000-OKZ000-TXZ000-071000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 279 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
1130 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       ARKANSAS
       NORTHERN LOUISIANA
       THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL
       SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
       NORTHEAST TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 1130 PM
UNTIL 500 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 130 STATUTE MILES EAST AND
WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LONGVIEW TEXAS TO 55
MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF WALNUT RIDGE ARKANSAS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND 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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 277. WATCH NUMBER 277 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER
1130 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 275...WW 276...


DISCUSSION...CLUSTER OF STORMS DEVELOPING W OF SHV APPEARS TO BE
ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER SPEED MAX EMBEDDED IN THE BELT OF WESTERLIES
ACROSS THE SRN PLAINS AND MS VALLEY.  GIVEN THE 70+ BOUNDARY LAYER
DEW POINTS/STRONG INSTABILITY ACROSS ACROSS THE ARKLATEX...EXPECT
THIS CONVECTION TO EXPAND AND INTENSIFY OVERNIGHT.  OTHER STORMS
NEAR THE DRYLINE/COLD FRONT IN ERN OK/WRN AR MAY ALSO PERSIST FOR
SEVERAL MORE HOURS.  THOUGH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE
THE MAIN THREATS... DEEP LAYER VERTICAL SHEAR REMAINS FAVORABLE FOR
SUPERCELLS...AND AN INCREASING LOW-LEVEL JET ACROSS LA/SRN AR MAY
SUPPORT AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT OVERNIGHT.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.


...THOMPSON

320,0963 362,0941 362,0893 320,0920

Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2003Tornado Watches in Texas, 2003Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2003Every tornado watch in 2003

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.