Tornado Watch 55

Issued

Mar 23, 2011, 1:13 PM EDT (17:13 UTC)

Expired

Mar 23, 2011, 8:11 PM EDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:14 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

30%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

40%

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

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 255Mar 23, 12:02 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 259Mar 23, 3:54 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 260Mar 23, 4:20 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 263Mar 23, 7:37 PM EDT

877 
WWUS20 KWNS 231715
SEL5  
SPC WW 231715
INZ000-KYZ000-MDZ000-OHZ000-PAZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-240100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 55
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
115 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

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

       SOUTHERN AND EASTERN INDIANA
       MUCH OF KENTUCKY
       EXTREME WESTERN MARYLAND
       CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN OHIO
       SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA
       FAR WESTERN VIRGINIA
       MUCH OF WEST VIRGINIA

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 115 PM UNTIL
900 PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2.5 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 160 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
ZANESVILLE OHIO TO 60 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF BOWLING GREEN
KENTUCKY.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

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.

DISCUSSION...ALONG AND ESPECIALLY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT...MULTIPLE
BROKEN BANDS OF STRONG/SEVERE TSTMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON. GIVEN MODEST INSTABILITY/STEEP LAPSE RATES ALOFT COUPLED
WITH VERY STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR...THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH
SEMI-DISCRETE/SPLITTING SUPERCELLS AND BOWS ARE PROBABLE. LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS...BUT A FEW TORNADOES
WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WELL GIVEN THE DEGREE OF LOW LEVEL SPEED SHEAR.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
400. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040.


...GUYER

Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2011Tornado Watches in Ohio, 2011Tornado Watches in West Virginia, 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.