Tornado Watch 59

Issued

Mar 2, 2012, 1:20 PM CST (19:20 UTC)

Expired

Mar 2, 2012, 10:31 PM CST

In force

9 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:20 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

70%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

40%

Ten or more severe wind reports

60%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

60%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 205Mar 2, 9:22 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 207Mar 2, 10:28 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 210Mar 2, 11:46 AM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 211Mar 2, 12:05 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 212Mar 2, 12:57 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 213Mar 2, 1:26 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 215Mar 2, 2:35 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 217Mar 2, 3:25 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 218Mar 2, 3:47 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 221Mar 2, 5:41 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 223Mar 2, 7:15 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 224Mar 2, 7:18 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 226Mar 2, 10:07 PM CST

195 
WWUS20 KWNS 021923
SEL9
SPC WW 021923
ALZ000-MSZ000-TNZ000-030300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 59
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
120 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

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

       NORTHERN ALABAMA
       NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
       WESTERN AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 120 PM UNTIL 900
PM CST.

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 100 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBUS
MISSISSIPPI TO 40 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF NASHVILLE TENNESSEE.
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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 56...WW 57...WW 58...

DISCUSSION...18Z BNA/JAN/BMX SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT AIR MASS HAS
BECOME EFFECTIVELY UNCAPPED WITH MLCAPE VALUES OF 1000-1500 J/KG.
BASED ON VISIBLE SATELLITE AND RADAR DATA...IT APPEARS THAT
MULTIPLE...SUBTLE BOUNDARIES WILL GIVE RISE TO SEVERE STORMS THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THE STRONGEST VERTICAL SHEAR WILL REMAIN
ACROSS TN-PORTION OF WATCH...GRADUALLY DECREASING WITH SWD EXTENT.
NONETHELESS...THE KINEMATIC ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE WATCH AREA WILL
BE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF TORNADOES
/POSSIBLY STRONG/...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

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
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...MEAD

Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 2012Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.