Alert archive / Florida / Mesoscale Discussions in 2011

Mesoscale Discussion 321

March 31, 201127 counties in Florida

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 31, 2011, 9:39 AM EDT for 27 counties in Florida. It was in force for 66 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 31, 2011, 9:39 AM EDT (13:39 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2011, 10:45 AM EDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 27 counties

Brevard County, FL, Charlotte County, FL, Citrus County, FL, DeSoto County, FL, Glades County, FL, Hardee County, FL, Hendry County, FL, Hernando County, FL, Highlands County, FL, Hillsborough County, FL, Indian River County, FL, Lake County, FL, Lee County, FL, Levy County, FL, Manatee County, FL, Marion County, FL, Martin County, FL, Okeechobee County, FL, Orange County, FL, Osceola County, FL, Palm Beach County, FL, Pasco County, FL, Polk County, FL, Saint Lucie County, FL, Seminole County, FL, Sumter County, FL, Volusia County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:41 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.

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 86 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2011-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 728 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2011-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 543 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
728 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-58 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
787 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
543 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
606 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
8.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

686 
ACUS11 KWNS 311339
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 311339 
FLZ000-311445-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0321
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0839 AM CDT THU MAR 31 2011

AREAS AFFECTED...FL PENINSULA

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 80...

VALID 311339Z - 311445Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 80 CONTINUES.

ALTHOUGH A SURFACE LOW WAS LOCATED IN THE FAR NERN GULF OF MEXICO
AND A STATIONARY FRONT STRETCHED ACROSS THE NRN FL PENINSULA...THE
EFFECTIVE BOUNDARY FOR THE MOST INTENSE SEVERE CONVECTION STRETCHED
E-W FROM APPROXIMATELY 30 N PIE TO 30 MLB. ALONG AND NORTH OF THE
BOUNDARY...EXTENSIVE CLOUDS...RAIN AND SEVERE STORMS WERE
OCCURRING...WHILE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES WERE LOCATED SOUTH. STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO KEEP TRACKING EWD FROM THE GULF THROUGH THE CENTRAL
PENINSULA...WITH THE BOUNDARY GRADUALLY BEING PUSHED SWD DUE TO
OUTFLOW FROM THE PCPN. GIVEN DEEP LAYER SHEAR NEAR 60 KT...
SUPERCELLS AND MODERATE INSTABILITY SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY...
SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY. WIND PROFILES FAVOR BOTH SUPERCELLS WITH
TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE EFFECTIVE BOUNDARY WHERE 35-40 KT
LOW LEVEL SHEAR EXISTS...AND BOW ECHOES WITH WIND DAMAGE. GREATEST
TORNADO THREAT THE NEXT HOUR OR SO WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH INTENSE
SUPERCELL MOVING EWD AT 50 KT THROUGH POLK COUNTY TOWARD OSCEOLA AND
EVENTUALLY BREVARD COUNTIES.

..IMY.. 03/31/2011

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...MFL...MLB...TBW...JAX...TAE...

LAT...LON   29308321 27888268 26458204 26398080 26457971 28158033
            29308073 29368195 29308321

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 4:40 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin and 19 more2 hr
Mar 31, 6:00 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCBrevard, Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades and 25 more7 hr
Mar 31, 12:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrevard, Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee and 22 more63 min
Mar 31, 12:46 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCBrevard, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and 15 more7 hr
Mar 31, 2:56 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrevard, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Highlands and 10 more64 min
Mar 31, 6:22 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrevard, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Highlands and 10 more83 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Florida, 2011Every mesoscale discussion in 2011

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.