Tornado Watch 396

Issued

May 16, 2003, 3:55 PM CDT (20:55 UTC)

Expired

May 16, 2003, 10:00 PM CDT

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:56 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 1027May 16, 2:12 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 1029May 16, 3:34 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 1035May 16, 6:39 PM CDT

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 162049
SEL6  
SPC WW 162055
ARZ000-MOZ000-170300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 396 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
355 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003

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

       NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
       SOUTHERN MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 355 PM UNTIL 1000
PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 55 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI TO 40
MILES SOUTH OF HARRISON 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...CONTINUE...WW 392...WW 393...WW 394...WW
395...


DISCUSSION...SUPERCELLS IN NE OK EXPECTED TO MOVE NEWD INTO AXIS OF
INCREASING SURFACE-BASED INSTABILITY OVER WRN AR.  OTHER STORMS MAY
DEVELOP INDEPENDENTLY IN THIS AXIS AS AIR MASS CONTINUES TO RECOVER
IN WAKE OF CONVECTION NOW IN NE AR. LOW LEVEL VEERING PROFILES AND
HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE CONTENT SUGGEST THREAT FOR ISOLATED
TORNADOES/MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL WITH DISCRETE STORMS.	ACTIVITY
SHOULD WEAKEN LATER THIS EVENING AS HEATING ENDS AND EXISTING STORMS
MERGE INTO CLUSTERS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22020.


...CORFIDI

373,0910 354,0913 354,0944 373,0942

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2003Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2003Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.