Tornado Watch 39

Issued

Feb 28, 2012, 3:53 PM CST (21:53 UTC)

Expired

Feb 28, 2012, 9:00 PM CST

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:56 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

30%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

10%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

40%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

20%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

60%

• Mesoscale Discussion 164Feb 28, 2:25 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 168Feb 28, 5:15 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 169Feb 28, 7:59 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 171Feb 28, 8:23 PM CST

768 
WWUS20 KWNS 282151
SEL9
SPC WW 282151
KSZ000-NEZ000-290300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 39
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
355 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

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

       NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
       CENTRAL NEBRASKA

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 355 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 75 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF
COLUMBUS NEBRASKA TO 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CONCORDIA KANSAS.  FOR
A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

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...ISOLATED STRONG/SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE INTENSIFYING
AHEAD OF A DEEP SURFACE LOW...AND NEAR THE DRYLINE.  THESE STORMS
WILL LIKELY BE SUPERCELLULAR FOR A FEW HOURS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EARLY EVENING WITH A RISK OF DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...AND A FEW
TORNADOES.  THE STORMS MAY ORGANIZE INTO SHORT LINE SEGMENTS AFTER
DARK WITH A CONTINUED THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS.

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
350. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 2012Tornado Watches in Kansas, 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.