Tornado Watch 15

Issued

Feb 24, 2011, 5:54 PM CST (23:54 UTC)

Expired

Feb 24, 2011, 10:00 PM CST

In force

4 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:55 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

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

40%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

10%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 126Feb 24, 2:12 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 129Feb 24, 5:26 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 131Feb 24, 7:22 PM CST

495 
WWUS20 KWNS 242320
SEL5  
SPC WW 242320
KYZ000-MOZ000-250400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 15
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
520 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

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

       WESTERN KENTUCKY
       SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 520 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 25 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 80 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
PADUCAH KENTUCKY TO 105 MILES EAST OF PADUCAH KENTUCKY.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

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 13...WW 14...

DISCUSSION...FAST-MOVING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER AR WILL TRACK
NORTHEASTWARD ALONG SURFACE WARM FRONT INTO WESTERN KY DURING THE
NEXT FEW HOURS.  DESPITE MARGINAL INSTABILITY...STRONG SURFACE
PRESSURE FALLS AND FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR SUGGEST AN
INCREASING RISK OF SUPERCELL/BOW ECHO STRUCTURES CAPABLE OF DAMAGING
WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25045.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2011Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2011Every tornado watch in 2011

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.