Tornado Watch 177

Issued

Apr 15, 2012, 10:51 AM CDT (15:51 UTC)

Expired

Apr 15, 2012, 5:54 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:51 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

40%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

10%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

10%

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

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 546Apr 15, 9:25 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 549Apr 15, 1:38 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 552Apr 15, 4:22 PM CDT

031 
WWUS20 KWNS 151556
SEL7
SPC WW 151556
ARZ000-MOZ000-OKZ000-152300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 177
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1055 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

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

       NORTHERN AND WESTERN ARKANSAS
       SOUTHERN MISSOURI
       EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1055 AM UNTIL 600
PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 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 60 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF
POTEAU OKLAHOMA TO 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF VICHY MISSOURI.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 176. WATCH NUMBER 176 WILL NOT BE IN
EFFECT AFTER 1055 AM CDT.

DISCUSSION...A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS BEEN PROGRESSING SLOWLY EWD
AS CELLS MOVE MORE RAPIDLY NEWD WITHIN THE BAND.  SATELLITE IMAGERY
INDICATES AREAS OF THINNING CLOUDS AHEAD OF THE CONVECTION WHICH
WILL PERMIT REGIONS OF ENHANCED HEATING/DESTABILIZATION TO OCCUR
THIS AFTERNOON.  LATEST WIND PROFILER AND VAD DATA EXHIBIT VERY
STRONG WINDS /50 KT OR GREATER IN THE 1-2 KM AGL LAYER/ AND
INCREASING WINDS ALOFT...RESULTING IN VERY STRONG SHEAR/SRH THAT
WILL PROMOTE EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS AND OCCASIONAL SMALL SCALE BOW
ECHOES TO DEVELOP.  THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND TORNADOES
IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22035.


...WEISS

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2012Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2012Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.