Tornado Watch 404

Issued

May 17, 2003, 12:50 PM EDT (16:50 UTC)

Expired

May 17, 2003, 6:00 PM EDT

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:50 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 1047May 17, 2:14 PM EDT

113 
WWUS20 KWNS 171652
SEL4  
SPC WW 171650
NCZ000-TNZ000-172200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 404 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
1250 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 2003

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

       FAR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
       MIDDLE AND EAST TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1250 PM UNTIL
600 PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF CROSSVILLE TENNESSEE TO
CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE.

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 403...


DISCUSSION...NRN END OF AL/MS SQUALL LINE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ENE
ACROSS REMAINDER OF TN TO THE SRN FOOTHILLS OF THE APPALACHIANS. 
SBCAPE SOMEWHAT WEAKER THAN FARTHER S OVER AL...BUT SUFFICIENT LOW
LEVEL VEERING AND MOISTURE APPEAR PRESENT FOR ISOLATED TORNADO
THREAT BOTH ALONG SQUALL LINE...AND WITH ANY STORMS FORMING/MERGING
WITH WEDGE  BOUNDARY IN E TN/FAR W NC.	

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22030.


...CORFIDI

363,0831 350,0834 350,0864 363,0861

Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 2003Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 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.