Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 25, NWS Jackson, KY

March 2, 20126 counties in Kentucky

NWS Jackson, KY issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 6:21 PM EST for 6 counties in Kentucky. It was in force for 39 min. 11 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 2, 2012, 6:21 PM EST (23:21 UTC)
Expired: Mar 2, 2012, 7:00 PM EST
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS Jackson, KY
Area: Storm-based polygon
Emergency: Tornado emergency

Counties Bell County, KY, Clay County, KY, Harlan County, KY, Knox County, KY, Leslie County, KY, Whitley County, KY

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:23 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 2, 6:30 PM EST	TSTM WND DMG	Middlesboro, KY	TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN MIDDLESBORO.
Mar 2, 6:30 PM EST	HAIL 1.25	Middlesboro, KY	HALF DOLLAR HAIL WAS REPORTED AT THE COUNTY HIGHWAY GARAGE.
Mar 2, 6:35 PM EST	TSTM WND DMG	Pineville, KY	TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN PINEVILLE.
Mar 2, 6:40 PM EST	TSTM WND DMG	4 Nne Miracle, KY	TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN HULEN, 4 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF MIRACLE.
Mar 2, 6:42 PM EST	HAIL 1	Blackmont, KY
Mar 2, 6:45 PM EST	HAIL 2.75	1 W Insull, KY
Mar 2, 6:50 PM EST	HAIL 1	Wallins Creek, KY
Mar 2, 6:56 PM EST	HAIL 1.75	Wallins Creek, KY
Mar 2, 7:00 PM EST	HAIL 1	3 Sse Harlan, KY
Mar 2, 7:00 PM EST	HAIL 1.75	Harlan, KY	STATE POLICE REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL IN THE CITY OF HARLAN.
Mar 2, 7:00 PM EST	HAIL 2	Grays Knob, KY

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 2, 4:19 PM EST	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 269 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1667 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 523 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 175 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 169 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 6.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

935 
WFUS53 KJKL 022321
TORJKL
KYC013-051-095-121-131-235-030000-
/O.NEW.KJKL.TO.W.0025.120302T2321Z-120303T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
621 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON KY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BELL COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...
  SOUTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...
  WESTERN HARLAN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...
  KNOX COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...
  SOUTHWESTERN LESLIE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...
  SOUTHEASTERN WHITLEY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...

* UNTIL 700 PM EST

* AT 619 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR CHENOA...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  MIDDLESBORO...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WALLSEND...PINEVILLE...WASIOTO AND CLEAR CREEK SPRINGS AROUND 630
  PM EST.
  CARY...ARJAY...STRAIGHT CREEK AND KETTLE ISLAND AROUND 635 PM EST.
  CALLAWAY...MIRACLE...BALKAN AND FIELD AROUND 640 PM EST.
  STONY FORK JUNCTION...TACKY TOWN AND LAYMAN AROUND 645 PM EST.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3658 8413 3665 8423 3715 8346 3674 8314
      3670 8335 3666 8342 3666 8353 3662 8364
      3658 8369
TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 242DEG 49KT 3670 8387

$$

RICHEY

1 follow-up statement

216 
WWUS53 KJKL 022358
SVSJKL

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
658 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

KYC013-051-121-131-235-030007-
/O.CAN.KJKL.TO.W.0025.000000T0000Z-120303T0000Z/
KNOX KY-LESLIE KY-WHITLEY KY-BELL KY-CLAY KY-
658 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN CLAY...BELL...SOUTHEASTERN
WHITLEY...SOUTHWESTERN LESLIE AND KNOX COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED 
AREA.

LAT...LON 3669 8346 3673 8350 3678 8349 3681 8351
      3685 8348 3689 8349 3689 8341 3690 8340
      3692 8340 3693 8338 3695 8330 3674 8314
      3670 8335 3666 8342 3666 8346
TIME...MOT...LOC 2357Z 242DEG 49KT 3677 8338

$$

KYC095-030000-
/O.CON.KJKL.TO.W.0025.000000T0000Z-120303T0000Z/
HARLAN KY-
658 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...TORNADO EMERGENCY CONTINUES FOR HARLAN COUNTY...

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN HARLAN COUNTY
UNTIL 700 PM EST...

AT 656 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR TWILA...OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARLAN...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

THIS TORNADO WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF WESTERN HARLAN COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3669 8346 3673 8350 3678 8349 3681 8351
      3685 8348 3689 8349 3689 8341 3690 8340
      3692 8340 3693 8338 3695 8330 3674 8314
      3670 8335 3666 8342 3666 8346
TIME...MOT...LOC 2357Z 242DEG 49KT 3677 8338

$$

DUSTY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, KY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 2, 4:00 AM EST	Lake Wind Advisory	JKL	Bath, Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Elliott, Estill and 27 more	17 hr
Mar 2, 9:03 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Pulaski	27 min
Mar 2, 9:18 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Laurel, Pulaski, Rockcastle	42 min
Mar 2, 12:36 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan	39 min
Mar 2, 12:38 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan	37 min
Mar 2, 12:42 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan, Letcher	6 hr
Mar 2, 12:45 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bell, Knox, Whitley	30 min
Mar 2, 3:24 PM EST	River Flood Advisory	JKL	Lee	43 hr
Mar 2, 5:08 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bath, Estill, Menifee, Montgomery, Powell	37 min
Mar 2, 5:10 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bath, Fleming, Montgomery, Rowan	35 min
Mar 2, 5:14 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bath, Fleming	31 min
Mar 2, 5:16 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bath, Fleming, Montgomery, Rowan	29 min
Mar 2, 5:28 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Laurel, McCreary, Wayne, Whitley	32 min
Mar 2, 5:31 PM EST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JKL	Bath, Elliott, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Powell and 1 more	44 min
Mar 2, 5:45 PM EST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JKL	Elliott, Johnson, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan, Wolfe	30 min
Mar 2, 5:46 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Fleming, Rowan	10 min
Mar 2, 5:49 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bell, Knox, McCreary, Whitley	26 min
Mar 2, 5:53 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Bath, Menifee, Montgomery, Rowan	37 min
Mar 2, 5:57 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bath, Estill, Lee, Menifee, Montgomery, Powell and 1 more	33 min
Mar 2, 5:57 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bath, Fleming, Montgomery, Rowan	33 min
Mar 2, 6:01 PM EST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JKL	Elliott, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Rowan	25 min
Mar 2, 6:03 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Laurel, McCreary, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Wayne, Whitley	42 min
Mar 2, 6:09 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Estill, Jackson, Lee, Menifee, Morgan, Powell and 1 more	51 min
Mar 2, 6:21 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bath, Elliott, Fleming, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan	39 min
Mar 2, 6:23 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Clay, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, McCreary, Pulaski and 3 more	52 min
Mar 2, 6:34 PM EST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JKL	Elliott, Morgan, Rowan	26 min
Mar 2, 6:34 PM EST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JKL	Elliott, Morgan, Rowan	26 min
Mar 2, 6:38 PM EST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JKL	Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Lee, Magoffin, Morgan and 1 more	37 min
Mar 2, 6:40 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	JKL	Estill, Powell, Wolfe	5 hr
Mar 2, 6:41 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan, Whitley	5 hr
Mar 2, 6:45 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Bell, Harlan, Leslie, Letcher, Perry	30 min
Mar 2, 6:48 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Elliott, Johnson, Magoffin, Morgan	27 min
Mar 2, 6:52 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	JKL	Bath, Elliott, Johnson, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan	5 hr
Mar 2, 6:54 PM EST	Tornado Warning	JKL	Estill, Jackson, Lee, Owsley, Rockcastle	51 min
Mar 2, 6:58 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Estill, Johnson, Lee, Magoffin, Menifee, Morgan and 2 more	47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.