Tornado Watch 21

Issued

Mar 10, 2010, 1:05 PM CST (19:05 UTC)

Expired

Mar 10, 2010, 8:00 PM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:09 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

60%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

40%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 166Mar 10, 12:21 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 169Mar 10, 3:24 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 170Mar 10, 5:15 PM CST

491 
WWUS20 KWNS 101908
SEL1
SPC WW 101908
ALZ000-MSZ000-110200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 21
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
105 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010

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

       PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA
       PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 105 PM UNTIL
800 PM CST.

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 25 MILES SOUTH OF MONTGOMERY
ALABAMA TO 55 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI.  FOR
A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

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 19...WW 20...

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE WATCH AREA IN
RESPONSE TO SURFACE HEATING AND INCREASING INSTABILITY.  VEERING
SHEAR PROFILES...PARTICULARLY VICINITY WNW/ESE THERMAL BOUNDARY
FROM CENTRAL MS TO CENTRAL AL ARE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELL
DEVELOPMENT.  STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND DRY AIR AS NOTED ON
18Z JAN SOUNDING ARE VERY FAVORABLE FOR LARGE HAIL.  ALSO TORNADOS
WILL  BE POSSIBLE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SUPERCELL THAT FORMS.

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 24025.


...HALES

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2010Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2010Every tornado watch in 2010

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.