Tornado Watch 309

Issued

May 19, 2011, 1:43 PM CDT (18:43 UTC)

Expired

May 19, 2011, 9:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

3 in

Strongest gust expected

70 kt

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 146 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:43 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

50%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

60%

Ten or more severe hail reports

90%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

90%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 811May 19, 1:12 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 814May 19, 3:44 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 817May 19, 5:42 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 820May 19, 8:17 PM CDT

302 
WWUS20 KWNS 191851
SEL9
SPC WW 191851
KSZ000-200200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 309
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
145 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2011

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

       MUCH OF KANSAS

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 145 PM UNTIL
900 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 90 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES NORTHEAST OF HILL
CITY KANSAS TO 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MEDICINE LODGE KANSAS.  FOR
A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

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 307...WW 308...

DISCUSSION...AIR MASS HAS WARMED SUFFICIENTLY SOUTH OF WARM
FRONT...NEAR A ICT-RSL LINE...AND EAST OF A DRYLINE IN WRN KS FOR
STORMS TO INITIATE. THE STORMS WILL DEVELOP/SPREAD NWD THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON HOURS DUE TO THE STRONG SLY FLOW ALOFT. THE DEEP LAYER
SHEAR AND STRONG INSTABILITY ARE FAVORABLE FOR INTENSE SUPERCELLS...
WITH THE LARGER HAIL NEAR OR BIGGER THAN BASEBALL SIZE. ALSO...THE
MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER AND STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR WILL SUPPORT
TORNADOES...ONE OR TWO WHICH COULD BE STRONG. THE TORNADOES ARE MOST
LIKELY NEAR AND NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT WHERE ELY BOUNDARY LAYER
WINDS WILL RESULT IN ENHANCED SHEAR.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 21030.


...IMY

Tornado Watches in Kansas, 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.