Tornado Watch 217

Issued

Apr 26, 2011, 3:02 PM CDT (20:02 UTC)

Expired

Apr 26, 2011, 10:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Particularly dangerous situation

Yes

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:03 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

80%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

60%

Ten or more severe wind reports

90%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

80%

Ten or more severe hail reports

90%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

60%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 589Apr 26, 1:11 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 591Apr 26, 2:41 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 598Apr 26, 4:38 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 599Apr 26, 5:00 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 601Apr 26, 6:17 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 606Apr 26, 7:59 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 607Apr 26, 8:35 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 610Apr 26, 9:13 PM CDT

868 
WWUS20 KWNS 262004
SEL7
SPC WW 262004
ARZ000-ILZ000-KYZ000-MOZ000-MSZ000-TNZ000-270300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 217
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
305 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011

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

       EASTERN ARKANSAS
       SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS
       WESTERN KENTUCKY
       SOUTHEAST MISSOURI INCLUDING THE BOOTHEEL
       NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
       WEST TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 305 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE 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 70 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 75 MILES NORTH OF FORT
CAMPBELL KENTUCKY TO 35 MILES EAST OF EL DORADO ARKANSAS.  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 213...WW 214...WW
215...WW 216...

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE INTENSIFYING ALONG A WEAK SURFACE
BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM CENTRAL AR INTO WESTERN KY.  A FEW OF THESE
INITIAL STORMS WILL LIKELY BECOME SUPERCELLS WITH A RISK OF LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.  THE RISK OF
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE EVENING AS
STORMS FORM TO THE SOUTHWEST AND MOVE INTO THE WATCH AREA.  VERY
STRONG SHEAR PROFILES DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WATCH PERIOD
SUGGEST THAT PDS WORDING IS APPROPRIATE...WITH STRONG TORNADOES
POSSIBLE.

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 24035.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2011Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 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.