Alert archive / Arkansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012

Mesoscale Discussion 2068

October 17, 20126 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Oct 17, 2012, 7:35 PM CDT for 6 states. It was in force for 85 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 17, 2012, 7:35 PM CDT (00:35 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 2012, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
85 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 72 counties

Arkansas County, AR, Clark County, AR, Clay County, AR, Cleburne County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Conway County, AR, Craighead County, AR, Crittenden County, AR, Cross County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Desha County, AR, Faulkner County, AR, Garland County, AR, Grant County, AR, Greene County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Howard County, AR, Independence County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lawrence County, AR, Lee County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Little River County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Mississippi County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Montgomery County, AR, Perry County, AR, Phillips County, AR, Pike County, AR, Poinsett County, AR, Prairie County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Randolph County, AR, Saline County, AR, Sharp County, AR, St. Francis County, AR, Stone County, AR, Van Buren County, AR, White County, AR, Woodruff County, AR, Alexander County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Union County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Butler County, MO, Dunklin County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Pemiscot County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Bolivar County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, DeSoto County, MS, Panola County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tunica County, MS, Dyer County, TN, Lake County, TN, Lauderdale County, TN, Obion County, TN, Shelby County, TN, Tipton County, TN

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:35 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, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 2012-10-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 947 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 2012-10-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 228 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
947 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1045 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
228 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
236 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

680 
ACUS11 KWNS 180035
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 180035 
ILZ000-KYZ000-TNZ000-MOZ000-MSZ000-ARZ000-180200-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 2068
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0735 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...ERN AND SRN AR AND VICINITY...

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 667...

VALID 180035Z - 180200Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 667 CONTINUES.

SUMMARY...TORNADO THREAT CONTINUES ACROSS PARTS OF WW 667.

DISCUSSION...LATEST RADAR LOOP REVEALS SEVERAL ROTATING STORMS NOW
MOVING ENEWD ACROSS ERN AND SRN AR...WITHIN FAVORABLY
MOIST/UNSTABLE/SHEARED ENVIRONMENT.  THE EVENING SHV /SHREVEPORT LA/
RAOB REVEALS A DEEP/MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER AND OVER 2000 J/KG
MIXED-LAYER CAPE...ALONG WITH 0-1 KM SHEAR OF 28 KT.  GIVEN
THIS...POTENTIAL FOR A STRONG/LONGER-LIVED TORNADO REMAINS EVIDENT
WITHIN THIS REGION.

..GOSS.. 10/18/2012

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

ATTN...WFO...PAH...MEG...JAN...LZK...SGF...SHV...

LAT...LON   33699432 34349405 35719240 37498946 37528860 35668932
            33799000 33799000 33699432

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 17, 7:01 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAshley, Chicot, Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette and 5 more8 hr
Oct 17, 9:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Desha and 4 more92 min
Oct 17, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCEdwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Pope and 4 more75 min
Oct 17, 8:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalloway53 min
Oct 18, 2:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPike83 min
Oct 17, 8:23 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lafayette and 8 more5 hr
Oct 17, 11:49 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAttala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne and 31 more86 min
Oct 18, 1:09 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGeorge, Greene, Perry, Stone96 min
Oct 18, 2:40 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAmite, Clarke, Covington, Forrest, George, Greene and 12 more65 min
Oct 17, 8:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBenton, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Decatur, Dickson and 14 more4 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Arkansas, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 2012Mesoscale Discussions in Missouri, 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.