Tornado Watch 56

Issued

Mar 21, 2005, 12:15 PM CST (18:15 UTC)

Expired

Mar 21, 2005, 7:00 PM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

The Norman radar (KTLX), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:14 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 322Mar 21, 12:14 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 323Mar 21, 3:14 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 327Mar 21, 6:59 PM CST

000
WWUS20 KWNS 211820
SEL6  
SPC WW 211820
OKZ000-220100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 56
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1215 PM CST MON MAR 21 2005

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

       CENTRAL AND PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1215 PM UNTIL 700
PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 60 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 50 STATUTE MILES
EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF PONCA CITY
OKLAHOMA TO 25 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF DURANT OKLAHOMA.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

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.

DISCUSSION...ISOLATED SUPERCELLS SHOULD DEVELOP ALONG THE SURFACE
DRYLINE ACROSS CENTRAL OK BY 19-20Z.  EROSION OF THE LOW CLOUDS FROM
THE W HAS ALLOWED A NARROW CORRIDOR OF DESTABILIZATION E OF THE
DRYLINE...WHILE LOW-MID LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR IS QUITE FAVORABLE FOR
SUPERCELLS WITH TORNADOES ACROSS CENTRAL/ERN OK.  THOUGH INSTABILITY
IS A LIMITING FACTOR...IT SHOULD BECOME SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT THE
THREAT OF A FEW TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. 
STRONG LOW-LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR...AS WELL AS PRONOUNCED VERTICAL
VORTICITY ALONG THE SURFACE BOUNDARY...MAY ALSO SUPPORT AN ISOLATED
TORNADO THREAT INTO  PARTS OF N CENTRAL AND NW OK THIS AFTERNOON.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 400.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25030.


...THOMPSON

365,0965 334,0950 334,0965 365,0984

Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2005Every tornado watch in 2005

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.