Tornado Watch 60

Issued

Mar 23, 2011, 9:41 PM EDT (01:41 UTC)

Expired

Mar 23, 2011, 11:47 PM EDT

In force

2 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 50 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:42 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

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

10%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 262Mar 23, 7:10 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 265Mar 23, 8:39 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 266Mar 23, 9:21 PM EDT

384 
WWUS20 KWNS 240142
SEL0
SPC WW 240142
GAZ000-NCZ000-TNZ000-240600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 60
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
940 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

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

       NORTHERN GEORGIA
       WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
       EASTERN TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 940 PM
UNTIL 200 AM EDT.

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 65 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTHEAST OF HOT
SPRINGS NORTH CAROLINA TO 90 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF KNOXVILLE
TENNESSEE.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

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 56...WW 58...WW 59...

DISCUSSION...BROKEN BAND OF TSTMS INCLUDING LOW-TOPPED SUPERCELLS IS
EXPECTED TO PROGRESS EWD THROUGH THE SRN APPALACHIANS TONIGHT IN
ADVANCE OF MIDLEVEL IMPULSE MOVING THROUGH THE TN VALLEY.  AMBIENT
ENVIRONMENT REMAINS ONLY WEAKLY UNSTABLE OWING TO THE ONSET OF
NOCTURNAL COOLING IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER AND MARGINAL MOISTURE
CONTENT.  HOWEVER...GIVEN THE RELATIVELY STRONG LOW AND DEEP-LAYER
SHEAR AND PRESENCE OF ABOVE-MENTIONED IMPULSE...THE THREAT FOR A
COUPLE OF TORNADOES IN ADDITION TO HAIL AND LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS WILL PERSIST FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

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 350.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040.


...MEAD

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