Tornado Watch 109

Issued

Mar 24, 2012, 6:43 PM EDT (22:43 UTC)

Expired

Mar 24, 2012, 11:00 PM EDT

In force

4 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:46 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

5%

Ten or more severe hail reports

40%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

20%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 347Mar 24, 2:54 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 351Mar 24, 6:03 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 355Mar 24, 7:34 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 357Mar 24, 10:23 PM EDT

989 
WWUS20 KWNS 242246
SEL9
SPC WW 242246
NCZ000-VAZ000-250400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 109
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
645 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

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

       NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA
       CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT FROM 645 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 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 40 STATUTE
MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
RICHMOND VIRGINIA TO 25 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF DANVILLE
VIRGINIA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

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...WW 108...

DISCUSSION...LONG-LIVED TSTM/CYCLIC SUPERCELL NOW NEAR LYNCHBURG VA
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE NE TO ENE AT ABOUT 20-25 KTS.  STORM APPEARS TO
HAVE BEEN AIDED BY SHALLOW WSW-ENE ORIENTED BOUNDARY THAT BECOMES
MORE DIFFUSE WITH EWD EXTENT ACROSS S CNTRL VA.  STRENGTH OF STORM
AND REASONABLY UNSTABLE/MOIST ESELY LOW LVL FLOW AHEAD OF IT SUGGEST
THAT IT MAY PERSIST FOR SOME TIME LATER THIS EVE...POSING A THREAT
FOR SVR HAIL AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO.  FARTHER S...STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE ALONG NNE-SSW CONFLUENCE AXIS EXTENDING FROM
NEAR LYNCHBURG INTO PIEDMONT NC.  SUFFICIENT DEEP SHEAR AND FORCING
FOR ASCENT APPEAR PRESENT TO SUPPORT A RISK FOR INTERMITTENT
SUPERCELL STRUCTURES THAT WOULD BE CAPABLE OF SVR HAIL...LOCALLY
DMGG WIND...AND PERHAPS ONE OR TWO TORNADOES THROUGH MID TO LATE
EVE.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
400. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24020.


...CORFIDI

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