Tornado Watch 53

Issued

Mar 23, 2009, 12:16 PM CDT (17:16 UTC)

Expired

Mar 23, 2009, 4:08 PM CDT

In force

4 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 127 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:16 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

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

50%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 238Mar 23, 10:13 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 241Mar 23, 3:11 PM CDT

479 
WWUS20 KWNS 231717
SEL3  
SPC WW 231717
NEZ000-SDZ000-240000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 53
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1220 PM CDT MON MAR 23 2009

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

       LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEBRASKA
       PARTS OF SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1220 PM UNTIL
700 PM CDT.

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 85 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
PIERRE SOUTH DAKOTA TO 50 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF HASTINGS
NEBRASKA.  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...VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH AND DEEP SURFACE LOW SWRN NE WITH
STRONG LOW LEVEL JET PROVIDING A MOIST/UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS WATCH
AREA. WITH ADDITIONAL HEATING...THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY
INCREASE IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY AHEAD OF LOW AND TROUGH WITH SHEAR
MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS.  ALONG WITH
LARGE HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY
SUPERCELL AS THEY MOVE RAPIDLY NEWD ACROSS THE WATCH DURING THE
AFTERNOON.

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 20040.


...HALES

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 2009Tornado Watches in South Dakota, 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.