Tornado Watch 53

Issued

Feb 29, 2012, 6:37 PM EST (23:37 UTC)

Expired

Feb 29, 2012, 9:48 PM EST

In force

3 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:38 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

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

20%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

10%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

60%

• Mesoscale Discussion 186Feb 29, 3:23 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 189Feb 29, 5:36 PM EST

904 
WWUS20 KWNS 292338
SEL3
SPC WW 292338
GAZ000-NCZ000-SCZ000-TNZ000-010600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 53
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
635 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012

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

       NORTH GEORGIA
       WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
       UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
       EXTREME EAST AND SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 635 PM
UNTIL 100 AM EST.

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 50 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROME
GEORGIA TO 50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF ASHEVILLE NORTH CAROLINA.
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 48...WW 49...WW 50...WW
51...WW 52...

DISCUSSION...A BROKEN PRE-FRONTAL BAND OF STORMS...INCLUDING SOME
EMBEDDED BOW/SUPERCELL STRUCTURES...WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS
EWD/ESEWD FROM AL/TN TO THE SRN APPALACHIANS OVERNIGHT.  INSTABILITY
IS NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG ACROSS THE WATCH AREA...BUT A GRADUAL
INCREASE IN LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE INTO EARLY TONIGHT WILL TEND TO
OFFSET THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING.  MEANWHILE...A BELT OF STRONG
DEEP-LAYER FLOW AND VERTICAL SHEAR WILL REMAIN OVER THE WATCH AREA
AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES OVER THE OH VALLEY.  THE COMBINATION OF
WEAK INSTABILITY AND STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
A RISK FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED LARGE HAIL...AS WELL AS A
TORNADO OR TWO WITH THE MORE INTENSE EMBEDDED STORMS.

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
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27045.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2012Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 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.