Tornado Watch 63

Issued

Mar 2, 2012, 4:37 PM CST (22:37 UTC)

Expired

Mar 3, 2012, 12:00 AM CST

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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

60%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

80%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

50%

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

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 212Mar 2, 12:57 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 216Mar 2, 2:42 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 217Mar 2, 3:25 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 221Mar 2, 5:41 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 224Mar 2, 7:18 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 226Mar 2, 10:07 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 227Mar 2, 11:40 PM CST

751 
WWUS20 KWNS 022236
SEL3
SPC WW 022236
ALZ000-FLZ000-GAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-030600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 63
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
435 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

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

       CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA
       WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE
       WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA
       SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON FROM 435 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT 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 90 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
ROME GEORGIA TO 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MOBILE ALABAMA.  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 58...WW 59...WW 60...WW
61...WW 62...

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE INTENSIFYING ACROSS
SOUTHERN AL IN A MOIST AND STRONGLY SHEARED AIR MASS.  LOW LEVEL
VERTICAL SHEAR WILL STRENGTHEN EVEN FURTHER TONIGHT AS THE LOW LEVEL
JET INTENSIFIES...WITH A RISK OF SUPERCELLS AND BOW ECHOES.
DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES APPEAR TO BE THE MAIN THREAT.

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.


...HART

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