Tornado Watch 342

Issued

May 11, 2006, 4:02 PM EDT (20:02 UTC)

Expired

May 11, 2006, 10:00 PM EDT

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:05 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.

Two or more tornadoes

30%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

10%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

10%

Ten or more severe hail reports

10%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

40%

• Mesoscale Discussion 846May 11, 2:57 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 847May 11, 5:46 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 848May 11, 9:13 PM EDT

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 112004
SEL2  
SPC WW 112004
NCZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-120200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 342
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
400 PM EDT THU MAY 11 2006

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

       NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
       EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 400 PM UNTIL
1000 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 APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 65 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
CHARLOTTESVILLE VIRGINIA TO 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ROANOKE RAPIDS
NORTH CAROLINA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

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...SURFACE HEATING E OF A COLD FRONT AND S OF A WARM FRONT
HAS RESULTED IN MARGINAL INSTABILITY /MLCAPE VALUES OF 500-1000
J/KG/ ACROSS ERN NC AND E/SE VA.  SCATTERED LOW-TOPPED CONVECTION IS
DEVELOPING IN THE WARM SECTOR...AND A FEW OF THESE SHOWERS MAY
BECOME THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS.  LOCAL VAD WIND PROFILES
SHOW SUFFICIENT VERTICAL SHEAR FOR SUPERCELLS...WITH THE STRONGER
LOW-LEVEL SHEAR CONCENTRATED ALONG THE WARM FRONT FROM SE INTO
CENTRAL VA.  THOUGH THE OVERALL SEVERE STORM COVERAGE SHOULD REMAIN
RATHER ISOLATED...THE STRONGEST STORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS AND A COUPLE OF TORNADOES.

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 350.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2006Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2006Every tornado watch in 2006

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.