Tornado Watch 44

Issued

Mar 8, 2011, 7:37 PM CST (01:37 UTC)

Expired

Mar 9, 2011, 3:00 AM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 152 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:36 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

60%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

40%

Ten or more severe wind reports

40%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

30%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 207Mar 8, 5:46 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 208Mar 8, 6:27 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 209Mar 8, 9:40 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 210Mar 9, 1:28 AM CST

150 
WWUS20 KWNS 090141
SEL4
SPC WW 090141
ALZ000-ARZ000-LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-090900-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 44
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
735 PM CST TUE MAR 8 2011

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

       FAR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
       SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
       LOUISIANA
       CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 735 PM
UNTIL 300 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH 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 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF
NATCHITOCHES LOUISIANA TO 55 MILES NORTHEAST OF GULFPORT
MISSISSIPPI.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

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 42...WW 43...

DISCUSSION...BI-MODAL SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE ONGOING FROM THE
ARKLATEX INTO MS/AL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING
HOURS WEDNESDAY ALONG AND SOUTH OF WARM FRONT LIFTING NWD THROUGH
THE REGION.  00Z OBSERVED SOUNDINGS WITHIN SYSTEM WARM SECTOR
SAMPLED A VERY MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER WHICH WHEN COUPLED WITH RATHER
STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES WAS RESULTING IN A MODERATELY UNSTABLE
AIR MASS WITH MLCAPE VALUES OF 1000-2000 J/KG.  WHILE SOME DECREASE
IN INSTABILITY WILL OCCUR WITH THE ONSET OF NOCTURNAL COOLING...MORE
THAN SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY WILL PERSIST TO SUSTAIN ONGOING STORMS.
AREA VWPS/PROFILERS INDICATE THAT LOW-LEVEL WIND FIELD HAS VEERED
ACROSS ERN TX...HOWEVER RATHER STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO
PERSIST FARTHER E INTO THE LOWER MS VALLEY /IN CONJUNCTION WITH 50+
KT LLJ/ WITH EFFECTIVE SRH VALUES OF 300-600 M2/S2.  AS
SUCH...ENVIRONMENT WILL REMAIN SUPPORTIVE OF EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS
CAPABLE OF TORNADOES /SOME POSSIBLY STRONG/...DAMAGING WINDS AND
HAIL.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035.


...MEAD

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