Tornado Watch 326

Issued

May 22, 2011, 1:47 PM CDT (18:47 UTC)

Expired

May 22, 2011, 9:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

4 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Norman radar (KTLX), 146 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:50 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

50%

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

70%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

90%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 851May 22, 12:42 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 861May 22, 3:47 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 869May 22, 6:34 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 876May 22, 8:10 PM CDT

934 
WWUS20 KWNS 221849
SEL6
SPC WW 221849
OKZ000-TXZ000-230200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 326
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
150 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011

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

       CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
       NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 150 PM UNTIL 900
PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 4 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 25 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF
MCALESTER OKLAHOMA TO 40 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MINERAL WELLS
TEXAS.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED
WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

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...WW 322...WW
323...WW 324...WW 325...

DISCUSSION...ISOLATED STORM DEVELOPMENT IS ANTICIPATED ALONG THE
DRYLINE BY LATE AFTERNOON AS CONTINUED DAYTIME HEATING ERODES
REMAINING CONVECTIVE INHIBITION.  18Z FWD SOUNDING SHOWED THAT THE
WARM SECTOR IS ALREADY EXTREMELY UNSTABLE WITH MLCAPE VALUES
APPROACHING 5000 J/KG.  THIS DEGREE OF INSTABILITY COUPLED WITH
35-40 KT OF DEEP-LAYER SHEAR WILL SUPPORT INTENSE SUPERCELLS CAPABLE
OF DESTRUCTIVE HAIL.  THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL INCREASE THIS
EVENING AS LOW-LEVEL SHEAR INTENSIFIES IN RESPONSE TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A SLY LLJ.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 4 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27020.


...MEAD

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2011Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.