Tornado Watch 33

Issued

Feb 28, 2011, 12:29 PM CST (18:29 UTC)

Expired

Feb 28, 2011, 7:56 PM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:29 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

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

60%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

40%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

20%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 173Feb 28, 11:25 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 175Feb 28, 12:19 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 176 Tornado watch 33Feb 28, 3:36 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 178Feb 28, 5:16 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 179Feb 28, 5:42 PM CST

611 
WWUS20 KWNS 281835
SEL3
SPC WW 281835
ALZ000-GAZ000-NCZ000-SCZ000-TNZ000-010100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 33
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
130 PM EST MON FEB 28 2011

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

       CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA
       NORTHWEST GEORGIA
       WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
       UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
       SOUTHERN MIDDLE AND EASTERN TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 130 PM UNTIL 800
PM EST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 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 110 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTH OF HICKORY
NORTH CAROLINA TO 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TUSCALOOSA ALABAMA.  FOR
A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 31. WATCH NUMBER 31 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 130
PM EST. CONTINUE...WW 32...

DISCUSSION...STORM COVERAGE/INTENSITY SHOULD INCREASE THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON ALONG AND IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF A WEAK SURFACE WAVE ACROSS
MIDDLE TN...AND IN ADVANCE OF A MIDLEVEL TROUGH OVER NRN MS/WRN
TN/WRN KY.  THE STORM ENVIRONMENT REMAINS FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS
AND A FEW TORNADOES ACROSS SE TN/AL/NW GA PER THE 18Z BMX SOUNDING.
FARTHER N...STORMS IN ERN TN WILL DEVELOP EWD INTO NW NC...ALONG THE
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THE EARLIER CONVECTION THAT CROSSED INTO VA.
INSTABILITY WILL BE A LITTLE WEAKER THAN AREAS FARTHER SW...BUT
VERTICAL SHEAR REMAINS STRONG...AND THE POTENTIAL WILL REMAIN FOR
EMBEDDED SUPERCELL STRUCTURES.  LATER DURING THE
AFTERNOON...CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO EVOLVE INTO MORE OF A LINEAR
SYSTEM WITH A THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND BRIEF SPIN UPS ALONG THE
BOWING LINE SEGMENTS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26045.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2011Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2011Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 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.