Tornado Watch 30

Issued

Feb 18, 2012, 2:58 PM CST (20:58 UTC)

Expired

Feb 18, 2012, 7:28 PM CST

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

Two or more tornadoes

30%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

20%

Ten or more severe hail reports

10%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

10%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

50%

• Mesoscale Discussion 128Feb 18, 2:02 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 130Feb 18, 3:41 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 132Feb 18, 7:05 PM CST

383 
WWUS20 KWNS 182100
SEL0  
SPC WW 182100
ALZ000-FLZ000-GAZ000-CWZ000-190300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 30
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
300 PM CST SAT FEB 18 2012

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

       SOUTHEAST ALABAMA
       FLORIDA PANHANDLE
       SOUTHWEST GEORGIA
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 300 PM UNTIL
900 PM 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 70 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF
MARIANNA FLORIDA TO 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA. 
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

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 28...WW 29...

DISCUSSION...BROKEN QUASI-LINEAR MCS CURRENTLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST
LA/MS SHOULD CONTINUE EAST AT UP TO 50KT ALONG A W-E WARM FRONT
SITUATED JUST INLAND FROM THE GULF COAST. THIS MCS LEADS A POTENT
UPR SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT WAS DRIVING SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS OVER THE
NWRN GULF ATTM. LOCAL/STORM SCALE FORCING WITH THE LEADING SYSTEM
WILL ACT ON MARGINALLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
WATCH AREA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS TO SUPPORT A CHANCE FOR DAMAGING
WINDS AND PERHAPS A COUPLE OF TORNADOES. SEVERE WEATHER THREAT MAY
PERSIST  BEYOND THIS INITIAL ACTIVITY AND INTO THE NIGHT AS THE
SURFACE LOW DEEPENS AND MOVES ENEWD FROM THE GULF TO SRN/CNTRL AL
LATE TONIGHT AND COLD FRONT MOVES EAST...PERHAPS PRECEDED BY STRONG
TO SEVERE STORMS IN THE FORM OF A SQUALL LINE.

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
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...CARBIN

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