Tornado Watch 61

Issued

Mar 2, 2012, 3:19 PM EST (20:19 UTC)

Expired

Mar 2, 2012, 11:38 PM EST

In force

8 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:20 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

50%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

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

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

80%

• Mesoscale Discussion 210Mar 2, 12:46 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 214Mar 2, 2:58 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 221Mar 2, 6:41 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 222Mar 2, 7:37 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 223Mar 2, 8:15 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 224Mar 2, 8:18 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 226Mar 2, 11:07 PM EST

171 
WWUS20 KWNS 022020
SEL1  
SPC WW 022020
GAZ000-NCZ000-SCZ000-TNZ000-VAZ000-030400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 61
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
320 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

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

       NORTHERN GEORGIA
       WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
       UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
       EASTERN TENNESSEE
       FAR WESTERN VIRGINIA

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 320 PM UNTIL
1100 PM 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 95 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF
BRISTOL TENNESSEE TO 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHATTANOOGA TENNESSEE.
 FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

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...WW
59...WW 60...

DISCUSSION...TSTMS RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING OVER NRN AL AND SRN MIDDLE
TN ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO WATCH AREA FROM THE WEST WITH
ADDITIONAL IN SITU STORM FORMATION POSSIBLE ALONG WARM FRONT LIFTING
NWD THROUGH THE SRN APPALACHIANS.  AIR MASS WILL CONTINUE TO
DESTABILIZE WITH THE NWD PROGRESSION OF WARM FRONT WITH MLCAPE
VALUES INCREASING TO 500-1500 J/KG.  WHEN COUPLED WITH STRONG
DEEP-LAYER SHEAR AND ENHANCED LOW-LEVEL SHEAR/VORTICITY ALONG WARM
FRONT...SETUP WILL FAVOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF A
FEW TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS AND SEVERE HAIL.

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 25040.


...MEAD

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