Tornado Watch 18

Issued

Jan 26, 2012, 9:55 AM CST (15:55 UTC)

Expired

Jan 26, 2012, 5:00 PM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

Two or more tornadoes

40%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

5%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 74Jan 26, 7:29 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 75Jan 26, 9:34 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 76Jan 26, 2:16 PM CST

356 
WWUS20 KWNS 261556
SEL8
SPC WW 261556
ALZ000-FLZ000-CWZ000-262300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 18
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
955 AM CST THU JAN 26 2012

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

       ALABAMA
       WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 955 AM UNTIL
500 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF
PENSACOLA FLORIDA TO 25 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF BIRMINGHAM
ALABAMA.  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 17...

DISCUSSION...A DEEPENING SURFACE LOW OVER THE MS DELTA REGION IS
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NEWD INTO MIDDLE TN BY AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN
CONSIDERABLE STRENGTHENING OF A SLY LLJ TO AOA 50 KT TODAY ACROSS
THE WATCH AREA.  THIS FEATURE WILL ENHANCE THE NWD FLUX OF AN
INCREASINGLY MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER ACROSS THE REGION...AS WELL AS
RESULT IN STRENGTHENING LOW-LEVEL SHEAR.  NRN EXTENSION OF QLCS OVER
SWRN AL IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NNEWD ALONG LEADING EDGE OF WEAKER
CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION SHIELD PRESENT ACROSS NRN AL WITHIN
MOISTENING/DESTABILIZING AIR MASS.  GIVEN THE STRENGTHENING VERTICAL
SHEAR AND FORCING FOR ASCENT...SETUP WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR
EMBEDDED SUPERCELL AND BOWING STRUCTURES CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WINDS
AND A FEW TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 400.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22040.


...MEAD

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2012Tornado Watches in Florida, 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.