Tornado Watch 154

Issued

Apr 3, 2008, 3:50 PM CDT (20:50 UTC)

Expired

Apr 3, 2008, 8:22 PM CDT

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:52 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

40%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

60%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

40%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 541Apr 3, 2:39 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 543Apr 3, 5:32 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 544Apr 3, 6:12 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 545Apr 3, 7:59 PM CDT

000
WWUS20 KWNS 032049
SEL4  
SPC WW 032049
ARZ000-OKZ000-040300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 154
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
350 PM CDT THU APR 3 2008

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

       WESTERN ARKANSAS
       EASTERN OKLAHOMA

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 350 PM UNTIL
1000 PM 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 APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 50 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST OF MCALESTER
OKLAHOMA TO 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FLIPPIN ARKANSAS.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

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 153...

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE INCREASING ALONG AN AXIS
FROM WESTERN NORTH TX INTO EASTERN OK.  THIS ACTIVITY IS LIKELY TO
INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AS LOW
LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AND DESTABILIZATION OCCUR.  LARGE HAIL WILL BE
THE MAIN THREAT EARLY...WITH AN INCREASING THREAT OF ISOLATED
TORNADOES THIS EVENING.

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
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25030.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2008Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2008Every tornado watch in 2008

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.