Tornado Watch 960

Issued

Dec 27, 2008, 6:35 AM CST (12:35 UTC)

Expired

Dec 27, 2008, 2:00 PM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:36 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

60%

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

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 2529Dec 27, 3:32 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 2530Dec 27, 8:03 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 2532Dec 27, 9:34 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 2537Dec 27, 1:20 PM CST

014 
WWUS20 KWNS 271244
SEL0  
SPC WW 271244
ARZ000-OKZ000-272000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 960
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
635 AM CST SAT DEC 27 2008

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

       WESTERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS
       EASTERN OKLAHOMA

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 635 AM UNTIL
200 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 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 120 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
HARRISON ARKANSAS TO 60 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF DE QUEEN
ARKANSAS.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

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 956. WATCH NUMBER 956 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER
635 AM CST. CONTINUE...WW 957...WW 958...WW 959...

DISCUSSION...BAND OF SUSTAINED TSTMS ALONG CNTRL OK COLD FRONT
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE E INTO WRN AR BY LATE MORNING...AND INTO CNTRL
AR BY EARLY AFTERNOON...AS ASSOCIATED UPR VORT NOW ENTERING W TX
CONTINUES STEADILY EWD.  STRENGTHENING UVV/WIND FIELD AHEAD OF
VORT...AND MODEST SFC HEATING...SHOULD MAINTAIN/ENHANCE ENVIRONMENT
FAVORABLE FOR A FEW EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS.  WEAKLY CONFLUENT LOW LVL
FLOW MAY ALSO SPAWN SEMI-DISCRETE STORMS E OF THE FRONTAL BAND. 
STRENGTH OF LOW LVL SHEAR AND QUALITY OF MOISTURE INFLOW WILL
SUPPORT TORNADOES...IN ADDITION TO SMALL BOWS WITH HIGH
WIND/HAIL...GIVEN FAVORABLE STORM MODE AND EVEN MODEST SFC HEATING.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23050.


...CORFIDI

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.