Tornado Watch 11

Issued

Jan 23, 2012, 2:44 AM CST (08:44 UTC)

Expired

Jan 23, 2012, 12:00 PM CST

In force

9 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

65 kt

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:45 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

80%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

50%

Ten or more severe wind reports

80%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

20%

Ten or more severe hail reports

30%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

10%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 55Jan 23, 1:25 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 56Jan 23, 4:02 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 59Jan 23, 6:38 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 61Jan 23, 11:30 AM CST

264 
WWUS20 KWNS 230855
SEL1
SPC WW 230855
ALZ000-GAZ000-MSZ000-231600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
245 AM CST MON JAN 23 2012

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

       SOUTHWEST THROUGH CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALABAMA
       NORTHWEST GEORGIA
       SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY MORNING FROM 245 AM UNTIL 1000 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 75 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF
ROME GEORGIA TO 90 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TUSCALOOSA ALABAMA.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

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 7...WW 8...WW 9...WW 10...

DISCUSSION...SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO PERSIST ALONG CONFLUENCE AXIS
EXTENDING FROM THE MERIDIAN MS AREA NEWD TO NEAR HUNTSVILLE AL.
THIS AXIS SHOULD ADVANCE SLOWLY ESE THROUGH MID MORNING...WHILE
ATTENDANT STORMS MOVE ENE ALONG IT.  VERY STRONG TO INTENSE DEEP
WIND FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH NEG TILT TROUGH NOW OVER W TN WILL
MAINTAIN ENVIRONMENT FAVORABLE FOR ADDITIONAL ROTATING STORMS AS THE
TROUGH CONTINUES NEWD.
LOW LVL ROTATION/TORNADO THREAT APPEARS GREATEST WHERE THE
CONFLUENCE AXIS INTERSECTS BELT OF ENHANCED LOW LVL SRH ALONG SRN
FRINGE OF DIFFUSE WEDGE BOUNDARY.  THIS FEATURE ATTM EXTENDS ROUGHLY
ESE FROM NEAR TCL/BHM.  GIVEN INTENSITY OF LOW LVL SHEAR...THE
TORNADO THREAT MAY SPREAD NEWD INTO NW GA LATER THIS
MORNING...DESPITE MORE PRONOUNCED LAYER OF WEDGE-TYPE AIR THAT
REMAINS OVER THAT REGION ATTM.
THE TORNADO THREAT SHOULD SUBSIDE LATER THIS MORNING AS THE UPR
TROUGH CONTINUES NEWD...DIMINISHING BOTH LARGE SCALE ASCENT AND DEEP
WIND FIELD OVER REGION.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25050.


...CORFIDI

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2012Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2012Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 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.