Tornado Watch 3

Issued

Jan 21, 2012, 4:55 AM CST (10:55 UTC)

Expired

Jan 21, 2012, 12:00 PM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:56 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

40%

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

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 37Jan 21, 1:52 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 39Jan 21, 4:20 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 41Jan 21, 7:22 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 42Jan 21, 10:01 AM CST

772 
WWUS20 KWNS 211100
SEL3
SPC WW 211100
ALZ000-GAZ000-MSZ000-NCZ000-TNZ000-211800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 3
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
455 AM CST SAT JAN 21 2012

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

       CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ALABAMA
       CENTRAL AND NORTHERN GEORGIA
       EASTERN MISSISSIPPI
       FAR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
       SOUTHERN MIDDLE AND EAST TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY MORNING FROM 455 AM UNTIL NOON CST.

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 80 STATUTE
MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
ATHENS GEORGIA TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

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 2...

DISCUSSION...BAND OF WSW-ENE COLD FRONT TSTMS NOW IN NRN MS/NRN
AL/MIDDLE TN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ESEWD...WITH EMBEDDED SUSTAINED
STORMS/POSSIBLE SUPERCELLS POSING A RISK FOR LOCALLY DMGG WIND AND
PERHAPS A QLCS TORNADO.  FARTHER S...MORE WDLY SCTD STORMS/POSSIBLE
SUPERCELLS MAY ARISE FROM PRE-FRONTAL CONFLUENCE BANDS NOW EXTENDING
FROM NEAR JAN ENE TO MCN/ATL.  THESE MAY POSE A RISK FOR
TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY IN ERN AL AND GA WHERE LOW-LVL SRH SHOULD BE
GREATEST NEAR RESIDUAL WEDGE BOUNDARY/WARM FRONT.  COMBINATION OF
MODEST DAYTIME HEATING AND INCREASING DPVA WITH APPROACH OF AR UPR
TROUGH MAY YIELD AN INCREASE IN STORM COVERAGE AND STRENGTH
THROUGHOUT WW OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

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 26035.


...CORFIDI

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