Tornado Watch 63

Issued

Mar 25, 2009, 2:06 PM CDT (19:06 UTC)

Expired

Mar 25, 2009, 9:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:07 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

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

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

50%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 257Mar 25, 10:55 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 259Mar 25, 12:51 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 263Mar 25, 3:57 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 264Mar 25, 5:29 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 265Mar 25, 7:31 PM CDT

246 
WWUS20 KWNS 251909
SEL3  
SPC WW 251909
TXZ000-260200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 63
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
205 PM CDT WED MAR 25 2009

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

       CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 205 PM UNTIL
900 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 55 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES NORTH OF DEL RIO
TEXAS TO 30 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF HUNTSVILLE TEXAS.  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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 62...

DISCUSSION...SURFACE-BASED THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP
ALONG THE NW EDGE OF THE SURFACE WARM SECTOR BETWEEN DRT AND SJT. 
THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY INCREASE IN COVERAGE/INTENSITY THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON AS A MID LEVEL SPEED MAX EJECTS EWD FROM THE BIG
BEND...AND A SURFACE WARM FRONT LIFTS SLOWLY NWD ACROSS S CENTRAL
AND SE TX.  MODERATE INSTABILITY /MLCAPE AOA 1500 J/KG/ AND
EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 50 KT WILL FAVOR SUPERCELLS
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  LOW-LEVEL
FLOW/SHEAR WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON ACROSS
CENTRAL/SE TX IN ADVANCE OF THE EJECTING MID LEVEL SPEED MAX...THUS
SUPPORTING A THREAT FOR TORNADOES WITH STORMS ALONG THE WARM FRONT.

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 26030.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Texas, 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.