Alert archive / Arkansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 176

February 29, 20127 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 29, 2012, 12:49 AM CST for 7 states. It was in force for 56 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 29, 2012, 12:49 AM CST (06:49 UTC)
Expired
Feb 29, 2012, 1:45 AM CST
In force
56 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 176 counties

Arkansas County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Chicot County, AR, Clay County, AR, Cleburne County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Craighead County, AR, Crittenden County, AR, Cross County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Desha County, AR, Drew County, AR, Faulkner County, AR, Grant County, AR, Greene County, AR, Independence County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lawrence County, AR, Lee County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Mississippi County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Phillips County, AR, Poinsett County, AR, Prairie County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Randolph County, AR, Saline County, AR, Sharp County, AR, St. Francis County, AR, Union County, AR, White County, AR, Woodruff County, AR, Alexander County, IL, Bond County, IL, Clay County, IL, Clinton County, IL, Edwards County, IL, Franklin County, IL, Gallatin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Hardin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Jefferson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Lawrence County, IL, Madison County, IL, Marion County, IL, Massac County, IL, Monroe County, IL, Perry County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Richland County, IL, Saint Clair County, IL, Saline County, IL, Union County, IL, Wabash County, IL, Washington County, IL, Wayne County, IL, White County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Gibson County, IN, Knox County, IN, Pike County, IN, Posey County, IN, Spencer County, IN, Vanderburgh County, IN, Warrick County, IN, Ballard County, KY, Caldwell County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Christian County, KY, Crittenden County, KY, Daviess County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Henderson County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Hopkins County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Lyon County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY, McLean County, KY, Muhlenberg County, KY, Todd County, KY, Trigg County, KY, Union County, KY, Webster County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Butler County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Carter County, MO, City of Saint Louis, MO, Dunklin County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Iron County, MO, Jefferson County, MO, Madison County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Pemiscot County, MO, Perry County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Saint Charles County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Saint Louis County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Warren County, MO, Washington County, MO, Wayne County, MO, Alcorn County, MS, Benton County, MS, Bolivar County, MS, Calhoun County, MS, Carroll County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, DeSoto County, MS, Grenada County, MS, Lafayette County, MS, Lee County, MS, Leflore County, MS, Marshall County, MS, Montgomery County, MS, Panola County, MS, Pontotoc County, MS, Prentiss County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Sunflower County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tippah County, MS, Tishomingo County, MS, Tunica County, MS, Union County, MS, Yalobusha County, MS, Benton County, TN, Carroll County, TN, Chester County, TN, Crockett County, TN, Decatur County, TN, Dickson County, TN, Dyer County, TN, Fayette County, TN, Gibson County, TN, Hardeman County, TN, Hardin County, TN, Haywood County, TN, Henderson County, TN, Henry County, TN, Hickman County, TN, Houston County, TN, Humphreys County, TN, Lake County, TN, Lauderdale County, TN, Lewis County, TN, Madison County, TN, McNairy County, TN, Montgomery County, TN, Obion County, TN, Perry County, TN, Shelby County, TN, Stewart County, TN, Tipton County, TN, Wayne County, TN, Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:48 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.

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 123 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2012-02-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 61 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2012-02-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 335 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
61 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-316 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
335 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
421 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

791 
ACUS11 KWNS 290649
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 290649 
TNZ000-KYZ000-INZ000-ALZ000-ILZ000-MSZ000-MOZ000-ARZ000-290745-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0176
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1249 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...SERN-EAST CENTRAL MO...CENTRAL AND ERN AR...SRN
IL...SWRN IND...WRN KY...WRN TN...AND NRN-NWRN MS

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...TORNADO WATCH LIKELY 

VALID 290649Z - 290745Z

NEW WW/S WILL BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT...WITH INITIAL TORNADO WATCH TO BE
COORDINATED SOON WITH WFOS FROM ERN MO...SRN IL...SWRN IND AND WRN
KY.  POTENTIAL WATCH ISSUANCE FARTHER S WILL BE MONITORED FOR PARTS
OF CENTRAL/ERN AR TO WRN TN/NWRN MS.

ONGOING SEVERE WEATHER THREAT /PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND A FEW
TORNADOES/ IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST OVERNIGHT INTO PARTS OF THE MID
AND LOWER MS VALLEY AND REACH THE LOWER OH/TN VALLEYS.  THESE
THREATS ARE ATTENDANT TO A FAST MOVING /ENE AT 50+ KT/ QLCS WHICH AT
0630Z...REGIONAL RADAR IMAGERY SHOWED EXTENDING FROM SOUTH CENTRAL
MO /LACLEDE COUNTY/ INTO EAST CENTRAL OK /PITTSBURG COUNTY/.  THE
SRN EXTENT OF THIS LINE WAS CHARACTERIZED BY MORE DISCRETE
STORMS...WHILE A FAST MOVING BOW ECHO PERSISTED ON THE NRN END
MOVING ENEWD THROUGH SRN MO.

AIR MASS DOWNSTREAM IS UNDERGOING DESTABILIZATION AS PW VALUES UP TO
1.5 INCH...NOW OVER ERN AR...SPREAD NNEWD CONTRIBUTING MUCAPE VALUES
OF 1000-1500 J/KG.  60-70 KT SWLY 850-700 MB WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO
SHIFT FROM THE ARKLATEX AND MID MS VALLEY INTO THE LOWER OH/TN
VALLEYS.  THE CAPE/SHEAR PARAMETER SPACE WILL REMAIN MORE THAN
SUFFICIENT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS DEVELOPING ENEWD OF ONGOING
ACTIVITY...WITH AN ATTENDANT THREAT FOR TORNADOES AND DAMAGING
WINDS.

..PETERS.. 02/29/2012

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...LMK...OHX...IND...HUN...PAH...ILX...MEG...JAN...
LSX...LZK...SGF...SHV...

LAT...LON   33069316 34729276 36639121 38789133 39048939 38688701
            36658699 35098765 33428959 33069316

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 28, 10:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Conway, Crawford and 20 more6 hr
Feb 28, 11:40 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton95 min
Feb 29, 3:20 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaxter, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Fulton and 20 more9 hr
Feb 29, 3:53 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaxter, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Faulkner and 20 more97 min
Feb 29, 8:07 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Craighead, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Lawrence and 2 more53 min
Feb 29, 11:11 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrittenden, Mississippi2 hr
Feb 29, 11:46 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland and 7 more89 min
Feb 29, 2:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAshley, Chicot6 hr
Feb 29, 1:14 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAlexander, Bond, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards and 28 more11 hr
Feb 29, 2:40 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn and 22 more65 min
Feb 29, 4:39 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCClark, Crawford, Dubois, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson and 4 more7 hr
Feb 29, 7:38 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClark, Dearborn, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Ohio and 1 more67 min
Feb 29, 11:41 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCUnion3 hr
Feb 29, 7:27 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBoone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant and 6 more5 hr
Feb 29, 11:31 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAdair, Allen, Barren, Bath, Bell, Boyle and 59 more8 hr
Feb 29, 12:24 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoyd, Greenup, Lawrence36 min
Feb 29, 12:37 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBoyd, Carter, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis, Mason7 hr
Feb 29, 3:18 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoyd, Carter, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis87 min
Feb 29, 3:34 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Allen, Barren, Bath, Bell, Boyle and 48 more116 min
Feb 29, 1:48 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAlcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, DeSoto and 16 more7 hr
Feb 28, 8:23 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtchison, Holt, Nodaway37 min
Feb 28, 9:47 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay and 9 more58 min
Feb 28, 10:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBates, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton and 9 more3 hr
Feb 29, 2:23 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJohnson67 min
Feb 29, 4:36 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, Bradley, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamilton and 6 more54 min
Feb 29, 5:37 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBlount, Bradley, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamilton and 10 more3 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Arkansas, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Illinois, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Tennessee, 2012Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.