Tornado Watch 955

Issued

Dec 26, 2008, 9:51 PM CST (03:51 UTC)

Expired

Dec 27, 2008, 5:00 AM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:54 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

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

30%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

10%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 2525Dec 26, 6:47 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 2529Dec 27, 3:32 AM CST

098 
WWUS20 KWNS 270355
SEL5  
SPC WW 270355
KSZ000-MOZ000-271100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 955
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
955 PM CST FRI DEC 26 2008

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

       EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS
       WESTERN MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 955 PM
UNTIL 500 AM CST.

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 75 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES NORTHEAST OF KANSAS
CITY MISSOURI TO 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHANUTE KANSAS.  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.

DISCUSSION...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP IN
SHORT BANDS FROM ERN KS INTO WRN MO.  THIS CONVECTION IS LIKELY
ROOTED JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE AND ALONG THE W EDGE OF THE RICHEST
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...BUT THE THREAT FOR SURFACE-BASED STORMS WILL
INCREASE AS DESTABILIZATION AND ASCENT CONTINUE OVERNIGHT WITH THE
APPROACH OF A DEEP MID LEVEL TROUGH FROM CO/NM.  VERTICAL SHEAR IS
FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS WITH THE INITIAL PRE-FRONTAL
CONVECTION...AND THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A COUPLE
OF TORNADOES AND DAMAGING WINDS...AS WELL AS ISOLATED LARGE HAIL. 
ADDITIONAL STORMS WILL LIKELY FORM LATER TONIGHT AND FARTHER TO THE
W IN KS ALONG A COLD FRONT...AND EVOLVE INTO A LINE WITH EMBEDDED
BOW/SUPERCELL STRUCTURES.

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 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23045.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Kansas, 2008Tornado Watches in Missouri, 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.