Severe Thunderstorm Watch 79

Issued

Mar 16, 2012, 3:47 PM CDT (20:47 UTC)

Expired

Mar 16, 2012, 9:00 PM CDT

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 114 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:51 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

20%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

2%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

20%

Ten or more severe hail reports

40%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

40%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 268Mar 16, 2:44 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 269Mar 16, 7:07 PM CDT

784 
WWUS20 KWNS 162051
SEL9
SPC WW 162051
OKZ000-TXZ000-170200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 79
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
350 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

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

       WESTERN OKLAHOMA
       THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS AND EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 350 PM UNTIL 900
PM CDT.

HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 65
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST
NORTHEAST OF GAGE OKLAHOMA TO 55 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF LUBBOCK
TEXAS.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED
WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 78...

DISCUSSION...DEEPENING CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN NOTED IN RECENT
VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY ALONG THE DRYLINE FROM JUST SW OF LBB TO
JUST NE OF PAMPA.  CONTINUED DAYTIME HEATING WILL FURTHER WEAKEN
CONVECTIVE INHIBITION...AND A WEAK LARGE SCALE ASCENT WILL HELP
CONDITION THE ENVIRONMENT FOR MORE STORM DEVELOPMENT AS A WEAK
MIDLEVEL TROUGH MOVES NEWD FROM ERN NM.  VERTICAL SHEAR IS ONLY
MARGINALLY FAVORABLE FOR SPLITTING SUPERCELLS...BUT STRONG
INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT A RISK FOR LARGE HAIL WITH ANY SUSTAINED
STORMS.  LATER THIS EVENING...STORMS COULD COALESCE INTO A CLUSTER
OR TWO ACROSS NW TX AND SW OK...WITH AN ATTENDANT RISK FOR LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

AVIATION...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 500. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 27020.


...THOMPSON

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Texas, 2012Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Oklahoma, 2012Every severe thunderstorm watch in 2012

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.