Tornado Watch 85

Issued

Mar 2, 2008, 6:05 PM CST (00:05 UTC)

Expired

Mar 3, 2008, 2:00 AM CST

In force

8 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:04 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

50%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

70%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

40%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 319Mar 2, 5:26 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 323Mar 2, 8:01 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 325Mar 2, 11:04 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 326Mar 3, 1:36 AM CST

000
WWUS20 KWNS 030006
SEL5  
SPC WW 030006
OKZ000-TXZ000-030800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
605 PM CST SUN MAR 2 2008

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

       CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
       NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING FROM 605 PM UNTIL
200 AM CST.

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 70 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTH OF MINERAL
WELLS TEXAS TO 30 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF CHANDLER OKLAHOMA. 
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...CONTINUE...WW 83...WW 84...

DISCUSSION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING SUPERCELLS AND SMALL
BOWING SEGMENTS...WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS THIS REGION
OVERNIGHT AHEAD OF STRONG UPPER SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD
FRONT.  FRONT WILL MOVE PROGRESSIVELY ESEWD ACROSS WW THROUGH THE
NIGHT AND DIMINISH SEVERE THREAT AS IT PASSES.  AHEAD OF IT
HOWEVER...VERY STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND MOISTENING BOUNDARY LAYER
WILL SUPPORT A RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES.  VERY STEEP MID LEVEL
LAPSE RATES AND MID LEVEL ROTATION WITH STRONGER CORES WILL ALSO
ENHANCE THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

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 22035.


...EVANS

Tornado Watches in Texas, 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.