Tornado Watch 108

Issued

Mar 24, 2012, 3:38 PM EDT (19:38 UTC)

Expired

Mar 24, 2012, 11:00 PM EDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:38 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

40%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 344Mar 24, 12:03 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 346Mar 24, 2:31 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 347Mar 24, 2:54 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 348Mar 24, 4:16 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 355Mar 24, 7:34 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 357Mar 24, 10:23 PM EDT

282 
WWUS20 KWNS 241938
SEL8
SPC WW 241938
NCZ000-VAZ000-250300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 108
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
335 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

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

       CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
       SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 335 PM UNTIL
1100 PM EDT.

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

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 80 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF
DANVILLE VIRGINIA TO 10 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF FAYETTEVILLE
NORTH CAROLINA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).

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 104...WW 105...WW
106...WW 107...

DISCUSSION...SUPERCELL TORNADO POTENTIAL MAY INCREASE ACROSS
PORTIONS OF SRN VA AND THE NC PIEDMONT OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS
LARGE UPPER STORM SYSTEM SPREADS EAST AND COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE
REGION. MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WAS ALREADY SUPPORTING SEVERE
STORMS AND LOW LEVEL FLOW ACROSS THE WATCH AREA HAS BACKED TO MORE
ELY COMPONENT APPARENTLY IN RESPONSE TO 1) SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS
OVER WRN NC/VA...AND 2) WARM FRONT/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY BCMG BETTER
DEFINED FROM NEAR THE NC/VA BORDER SEWD TO THE NC COASTAL PLAIN.
STORMS MOVING NEAR THIS BOUNDARY WHERE LOW LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE
ENHANCED WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ACQUIRE STRONG LOW LEVEL
ROTATION. STORMS TRACKING NEAR OR ALONG THE BOUNDARY FOR ANY
SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF TIME WILL ALSO POSE A THREAT FOR A FEW
TORNADOES. VERY LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH
SUPERCELLS...ALONG WITH SCATTERED DAMAGING WINDS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND 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
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.


...CARBIN

Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2012Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2012Every tornado 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.