Tornado Watch 371

Issued

May 25, 2011, 12:28 PM CDT (17:28 UTC)

Expired

May 25, 2011, 8:45 PM CDT

In force

8 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Particularly dangerous situation

Yes

Largest hail expected

3 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:29 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

80%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

70%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

60%

Ten or more severe hail reports

80%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

70%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 952May 25, 9:54 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 953May 25, 10:18 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 954May 25, 11:02 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 955May 25, 11:52 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 958May 25, 1:53 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 960May 25, 2:56 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 961May 25, 3:10 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 963May 25, 3:45 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 967May 25, 5:56 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 970May 25, 7:22 PM CDT

262 
WWUS20 KWNS 251732
SEL1
SPC WW 251732
ARZ000-MOZ000-MSZ000-TNZ000-260300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 371
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1230 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

       CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARKANSAS
       MISSOURI BOOTHEEL
       NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI
       WESTERN TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1230 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

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

DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 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 85 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTHWEST OF LITTLE
ROCK ARKANSAS TO 50 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF JACKSON TENNESSEE.
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

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 367...WW 368...WW
369...WW 370...

DISCUSSION...TSTM INITIATION IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO
HOURS WITHIN BROADLY CONFLUENT LOW-LEVEL FLOW REGIME IN PLACE ACROSS
AR.  HERE...AIR MASS IS ALREADY MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH MLCAPE OF
2500 J/KG WITH FURTHER DESTABILIZATION EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS INSTABILITY AXIS COINCIDES WITH A 60-70 KT MIDLEVEL JET STREAK
AND 40-50 KT LLJ...RESULTING IN VERY STRONG LOW AND DEEP-LAYER SHEAR
ACROSS THE BROAD WARM SECTOR.  CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT ONE OR
MULTIPLE FAST-MOVING BANDS OF SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON
INTO EVENING WITH A THREAT FOR TORNADOES...SOME POTENTIAL STRONG TO
VIOLENT AND LONG-TRACKED...VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...MEAD

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