Tornado Watch 55

Issued

Feb 12, 2008, 10:20 PM EST (03:20 UTC)

Expired

Feb 13, 2008, 7:00 AM EST

In force

9 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:22 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

70%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

40%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

10%

Ten or more severe hail reports

20%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 216Feb 12, 7:41 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 219Feb 12, 9:39 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 223Feb 13, 3:12 AM EST

000
WWUS20 KWNS 130330
SEL5  
SPC WW 130330
FLZ000-CWZ000-131200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 55
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1020 PM EST TUE FEB 12 2008

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

       MUCH OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 1020 PM
UNTIL 700 AM EST.

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 80 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 5 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF
GAINESVILLE FLORIDA TO 60 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MIAMI FLORIDA.
 FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 53. WATCH NUMBER 53 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1020
PM EST. CONTINUE...WW 54...

DISCUSSION...TSTMS/SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH EARLY
WEDNESDAY ALONG /1/ SW-NE CONFLUENCE BAND ATTM EXTENDING FROM NAPLES
TO ABOUT 30 N PBI...AND /2/ ALONG SIMILAR...WEAKER FEATURE NOW
EXTENDING FROM 50 W TPA TO NEAR GNV.  BOTH LINES SHOULD EDGE SLOWLY
E WITH TIME...WITH SRN LINE ALSO DEVELOPING NE TOWARD THE E FL CST.
DEEP WIND FIELD ACROSS THE PENINSULA EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAVORABLE
FOR SUPERCELLS...WITH GREATEST LOW-LEVEL SHEAR /SRH AOA 250 M2 PER
S2/ EXPECTED IN AREAS IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF THE CONFLUENCE LINES. 
THE GREATEST LOW-LEVEL INSTABILITY/MOISTURE...AND ASSOCIATED TORNADO
THREAT IN THE NEAR TERM...SHOULD REMAIN CONFINED TO SRN CONFLUENCE
BAND.  HOWEVER...CONTINUING LOW LEVEL AIR MASS RECOVERY MAY SUPPORT
AN INCREASING TORNADO THREAT NWD ALONG THE FL E CST TO NEAR JAX
EARLY WEDNESDAY.

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 23035.


...CORFIDI

Tornado Watches in Florida, 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.