Tornado Watch 295

Issued

May 24, 2012, 3:22 PM EDT (19:22 UTC)

Expired

May 24, 2012, 8:43 PM EDT

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:22 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

60%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

20%

Ten or more severe hail reports

40%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

10%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 889May 24, 2:34 PM EDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 892May 24, 6:41 PM EDT

973 
WWUS20 KWNS 241926
SEL5
SPC WW 241926
MIZ000-MNZ000-WIZ000-LSZ000-250300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 295
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
225 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

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

       WESTERN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN
       SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
       NORTHERN AND WESTERN WISCONSIN
       LAKE SUPERIOR

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 225 PM UNTIL
1000 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 80 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF LA
CROSSE WISCONSIN TO 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF IRONWOOD MICHIGAN.  FOR
A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

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.

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINNING TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE
ALONG A COLD FRONT FROM SRN MN INTO NRN IA IN RESPONSE TO INCREASING
FORCING AHEAD OF A STRONG SHORT WAVE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE
SOUTHWEST.  STORMS ARE LIKELY TO INTENSIFY INTO NWRN/WEST CENTRAL WI
THIS AFTERNOON AS A DEEPENING SURFACE LOW MOVES NNEWD ALONG A
PRE-EXISTING THERMAL GRADIENT...WITH ACTIVITY PROGRESSING EWD/NEWD
THROUGH THE EVENING.  ALTHOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS SOMEWHAT
MARGINAL...STRONG FORCING AND INTENSE VERTICAL SHEAR WILL PROMOTE
DEVELOPMENT OF BOWING LINE SEGMENTS AND OCCASIONAL EMBEDDED
SUPERCELLS WITH ATTENDANT THREATS FOR WIND DAMAGE AND A FEW
TORNADOES.

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
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22045.


...WEISS

Tornado Watches in Wisconsin, 2012Tornado Watches in Minnesota, 2012Tornado Watches in Michigan, 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.