Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Watches in 2009

Tornado Watch 23

February 18, 200957 counties in Kentucky; 55 counties in Tennessee

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 18, 2009, 11:09 AM CST for 57 counties in Kentucky; 55 counties in Tennessee. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Feb 18, 2009, 11:09 AM CST (17:09 UTC)
Expired: Feb 18, 2009, 5:00 PM CST
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected: 2 in
Strongest gust expected: 70 kt

All 112 counties

Adair County, KY, Allen County, KY, Barren County, KY, Bell County, KY, Boyle County, KY, Breathitt County, KY, Casey County, KY, Clark County, KY, Clay County, KY, Clinton County, KY, Cumberland County, KY, Edmonson County, KY, Estill County, KY, Floyd County, KY, Garrard County, KY, Grayson County, KY, Green County, KY, Hardin County, KY, Harlan County, KY, Hart County, KY, Jackson County, KY, Jessamine County, KY, Johnson County, KY, Knott County, KY, Knox County, KY, Larue County, KY, Laurel County, KY, Lee County, KY, Leslie County, KY, Letcher County, KY, Lincoln County, KY, Madison County, KY, Magoffin County, KY, Marion County, KY, Martin County, KY, McCreary County, KY, Menifee County, KY, Mercer County, KY, Metcalfe County, KY, Monroe County, KY, Montgomery County, KY, Morgan County, KY, Nelson County, KY, Owsley County, KY, Perry County, KY, Pike County, KY, Powell County, KY, Pulaski County, KY, Rockcastle County, KY, Russell County, KY, Simpson County, KY, Taylor County, KY, Warren County, KY, Washington County, KY, Wayne County, KY, Whitley County, KY, Wolfe County, KY, Anderson County, TN, Bedford County, TN, Bledsoe County, TN, Blount County, TN, Bradley County, TN, Campbell County, TN, Cannon County, TN, Cheatham County, TN, Claiborne County, TN, Clay County, TN, Coffee County, TN, Cumberland County, TN, Davidson County, TN, DeKalb County, TN, Fentress County, TN, Franklin County, TN, Giles County, TN, Grundy County, TN, Hamilton County, TN, Hickman County, TN, Jackson County, TN, Knox County, TN, Lawrence County, TN, Lewis County, TN, Lincoln County, TN, Loudon County, TN, Macon County, TN, Marion County, TN, Marshall County, TN, Maury County, TN, McMinn County, TN, Meigs County, TN, Monroe County, TN, Moore County, TN, Morgan County, TN, Overton County, TN, Perry County, TN, Pickett County, TN, Polk County, TN, Putnam County, TN, Rhea County, TN, Roane County, TN, Rutherford County, TN, Scott County, TN, Sequatchie County, TN, Smith County, TN, Sumner County, TN, Trousdale County, TN, Union County, TN, Van Buren County, TN, Warren County, TN, Wayne County, TN, White County, TN, Williamson County, TN, Wilson County, TN

The radar

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:10 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes: 40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes: 20%
Ten or more severe wind reports: 70%
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: 20%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports: 90%

Warnings issued inside it

47 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 18, 11:20 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Allen, Simpson	25 min
Feb 18, 11:26 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Adair, Barren, Cumberland, Metcalfe	49 min
Feb 18, 11:39 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Allen, Barren, Cumberland, Monroe	51 min
Feb 18, 11:50 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Marion, Nelson, Washington	25 min
Feb 18, 11:53 AM CST	Tornado Warning	LMK	Clinton, Cumberland, Russell	26 min
Feb 18, 12:07 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JKL	McCreary, Pulaski, Wayne	38 min
Feb 18, 12:14 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Allen, Clinton, Cumberland, Monroe	46 min
Feb 18, 12:15 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Mercer, Washington	30 min
Feb 18, 12:33 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LMK	Clinton, Cumberland	27 min
Feb 18, 12:39 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Garrard, Jessamine, Madison	21 min
Feb 18, 12:43 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	McCreary, Pulaski, Wayne	47 min
Feb 18, 12:47 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Knox, Laurel, McCreary, Pulaski, Whitley	43 min
Feb 18, 12:52 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cumberland, DeKalb, Putnam, White	23 min
Feb 18, 12:57 PM CST	Tornado Warning	LMK	Clinton	33 min
Feb 18, 1:04 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Clark, Madison	26 min
Feb 18, 1:13 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	McCreary, Wayne	47 min
Feb 18, 1:14 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bath, Estill, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Powell and 1 more	18 min
Feb 18, 1:15 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OHX	Cumberland, Putnam, White	30 min
Feb 18, 1:17 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Estill, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Powell, Wolfe	43 min
Feb 18, 1:24 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bell, Clay, Knox	36 min
Feb 18, 1:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bath, Elliott, Johnson, Menifee, Morgan, Powell and 1 more	49 min
Feb 18, 1:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Clay, Fentress, Overton, Pickett	34 min
Feb 18, 1:29 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Campbell, Scott	61 min
Feb 18, 1:30 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Knox, McCreary, Whitley	30 min
Feb 18, 1:37 PM CST	Tornado Warning	MRX	Morgan, Roane	38 min
Feb 18, 1:48 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan, Leslie	42 min
Feb 18, 1:49 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan, Knox, Whitley	41 min
Feb 18, 1:53 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Madison	7 min
Feb 18, 1:54 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bell, Knox, McCreary, Whitley	51 min
Feb 18, 1:55 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Breathitt, Estill, Lee, Magoffin, Menifee, Morgan and 2 more	50 min
Feb 18, 1:57 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Morgan and 2 more	48 min
Feb 18, 1:57 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Fentress, Overton, Putnam	33 min
Feb 18, 2:00 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Harlan	30 min
Feb 18, 2:04 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin	26 min
Feb 18, 2:07 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Bledsoe, Loudon, Meigs, Rhea, Roane	38 min
Feb 18, 2:10 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Roane	50 min
Feb 18, 2:12 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cumberland, Fentress, Overton, Putnam	33 min
Feb 18, 2:13 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Johnson, Magoffin, Morgan	32 min
Feb 18, 2:14 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan	31 min
Feb 18, 2:18 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Bledsoe, Hamilton, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Rhea	57 min
Feb 18, 2:18 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Campbell, Claiborne, Hancock	57 min
Feb 18, 2:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs, Sequatchie	65 min
Feb 18, 2:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Scott	65 min
Feb 18, 2:31 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Johnson, Martin	29 min
Feb 18, 2:42 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan and 2 more	48 min
Feb 18, 3:08 PM CST	Tornado Warning	MRX	Blount, McMinn, Monroe	37 min
Feb 18, 3:13 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	McMinn, Monroe, Polk	32 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 117 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 519 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 78 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 599 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 631 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 18, 9:53 AM CST	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Adair, Allen, Barren, Boyle, Casey, Clinton and 14 more	97 min
Feb 18, 1:09 PM CST	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Fleming, Gallatin and 11 more	51 min
Feb 18, 1:33 PM CST	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bell, Harlan, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, McCreary and 1 more	87 min
Feb 17, 7:09 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Fayette, Shelby, Tipton	6 hr
Feb 17, 9:45 PM CST	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette and 11 more	2 hr
Feb 18, 3:22 PM CST	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bradley, Franklin, Giles, Hamilton, Lincoln, Marion and 2 more	83 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2009 Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 2009 Every tornado watch in 2009

Sources

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.