Tornado Watch 322

Issued

May 22, 2011, 12:07 PM CDT (17:07 UTC)

Expired

May 22, 2011, 7:16 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:10 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

70%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

40%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

50%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

40%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 849May 22, 10:53 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 855May 22, 1:49 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 858May 22, 2:59 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 866May 22, 5:47 PM CDT

866 
WWUS20 KWNS 221709
SEL2
SPC WW 221709
IAZ000-MNZ000-WIZ000-230100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 322
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1210 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011

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

       NORTHEAST IOWA
       SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
       WESTERN WISCONSIN

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1210 PM UNTIL
800 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 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 80 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF
MANKATO MINNESOTA TO 45 MILES EAST OF LA CROSSE WISCONSIN.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

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 321...

DISCUSSION...SRN FRINGE OF ELEVATED TSTMS ONGOING ACROSS SERN MN/WRN
WI MAY BECOME PROGRESSIVELY SURFACE BASED THIS AFTERNOON OWING TO
THE RAPID NWD FLUX OF 60+ F DEWPOINTS ALONG AND S OF WARM FRONT.
ADDITIONAL STORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG WARM AND COLD
FRONTS ASSOCIATED WITH SURFACE LOW MOVING FROM E-CNTRL SD TOWARD
CNTRL MN.  ENHANCED LOW-LEVEL SHEAR AHEAD OF SURFACE LOW COUPLED
WITH THE MOISTENING/DESTABILIZING AIR MASS WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELLS
CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23030.


...MEAD

Tornado Watches in Minnesota, 2011Tornado Watches in Wisconsin, 2011Tornado Watches in Iowa, 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.