Tornado Watch 17

Issued

Feb 24, 2011, 8:30 PM CST (02:30 UTC)

Expired

Feb 25, 2011, 2:00 AM CST

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

65 kt

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 24 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:31 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

70%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

40%

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

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 129Feb 24, 5:26 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 133Feb 24, 8:11 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 135Feb 24, 10:38 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 137Feb 25, 1:35 AM CST

457 
WWUS20 KWNS 250230
SEL7  
SPC WW 250230
ALZ000-MSZ000-TNZ000-250800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 17
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
830 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011

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

       NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA
       EASTERN MISSISSIPPI
       SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 830 PM
UNTIL 200 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 75 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 NORTH NORTHWEST OF
HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA TO 90 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBUS
MISSISSIPPI.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

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 14...WW 15...WW 16...

DISCUSSION...A FAST MOVING SQUALL LINE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK
EASTWARD ACROSS MS AND INTO AL DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  EMBEDDED
CIRCULATIONS IN THE LINE WILL MAINTAIN A RISK OF ISOLATED
TORNADOES...BUT PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS. 
STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO SLOWLY WEAKEN AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THEY
TRACK ACROSS AL.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2011Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 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.