Tornado Watch 54

Issued

Mar 22, 2011, 8:35 PM CDT (01:35 UTC)

Expired

Mar 23, 2011, 1:41 AM CDT

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:37 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

40%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

10%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

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

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 251Mar 22, 8:00 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 253Mar 22, 11:21 PM CDT

950 
WWUS20 KWNS 230135
SEL4  
SPC WW 230135
IAZ000-MOZ000-230700-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 54
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
835 PM CDT TUE MAR 22 2011

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

       PARTS OF SOUTHERN IOWA
       LARGE PART OF NORTHERN MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 835 PM
UNTIL 200 AM 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 50 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF OTTUMWA
IOWA TO 5 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF CHILLICOTHE MISSOURI.  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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 53. WATCH NUMBER 53 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 835
PM CDT. 

DISCUSSION...LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EWD ACROSS WATCH
AREA THRU THE EVENING. WITH VERY STRONG SHEAR PROFILES...MARGINAL
BUT SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY IS AVAILABLE TO MAINTAIN THE THREAT OF
EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS/TORNADOES WITHIN THE LINE. IN ADDITION DAMAGING
WINDS ARE LIKELY...PARTICULARLY IN BOWING SEGMENTS.

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
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...HALES

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 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.