Tornado Watch 293

Issued

May 13, 2009, 2:39 PM CDT (19:39 UTC)

Expired

May 13, 2009, 10:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 156 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:40 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

60%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

40%

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

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 812May 13, 1:52 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 815May 13, 5:47 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 819May 13, 7:05 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 821May 13, 8:35 PM CDT

399 
WWUS20 KWNS 131942
SEL3  
SPC WW 131942
IAZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-140300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 293
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
240 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

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

       PARTS OF SOUTHERN IOWA
       PARTS OF WESTERN ILLINOIS
       PARTS OF NORTHERN MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 240 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2.5 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 75 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
LAMONI IOWA TO 70 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF BURLINGTON IOWA.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

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...WITH STRONG TROUGH/WIND MAX PASSING BY TO THE NORTH AND
AIR MASS ACROSS WATCH AREA BECOMING MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND ONLY
WEAKLY CAPPED...THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD INITIATE SOON.  PRIMARY FOCUS
WILL BE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT NOW INTO SWRN IA TO NERN
KS AND EWD ALONG WARM FRONT VICINITY IA/MO BORDER.  STRONG VEERING
SHEAR PROFILES SUPPORT SUPERCELLS WHICH WILL INCLUDE NOT ONLY LARGE
HAIL AND WIND THREAT BUT ALSO TORNADOES.  STORMS SHOULD MOVE/DEVELOP
EWD/SEWD ACROSS THE WATCH AS COLD FRONT MOVES SEWD THRU THE EVENING.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26040.


...HALES

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2009Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2009Tornado Watches in Iowa, 2009Every tornado watch in 2009

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.