Tornado Watch 69

Issued

Mar 3, 2012, 1:04 PM EST (18:04 UTC)

Expired

Mar 3, 2012, 5:37 PM EST

In force

5 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:06 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

40%

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

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 230Mar 3, 10:12 AM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 231Mar 3, 12:45 PM EST
• Mesoscale Discussion 232Mar 3, 4:30 PM EST

533 
WWUS20 KWNS 031805
SEL9  
SPC WW 031805
FLZ000-GAZ000-CWZ000-040100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 69
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
105 PM EST SAT MAR 3 2012

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

       NORTHERN FLORIDA INCLUDING THE EASTERN PANHANDLE
       SOUTHERN GEORGIA
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 105 PM UNTIL
800 PM EST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 60 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST OF
APALACHICOLA FLORIDA TO 40 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF JACKSONVILLE
FLORIDA.  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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 68. WATCH NUMBER 68 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 105
PM EST. 

DISCUSSION...PRE-FRONTAL QLCS WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS IS EXPECTED
TO PERSIST ACROSS THE WATCH AREA INTO THIS EVENING WITHIN PREVAILING
SWLY FLOW REGIME.  RUC OBJECTIVE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE AMBIENT
INFLOW AIR MASS HAS BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH MLCAPE VALUES OF
1000-1500 J/KG.  WHEN COUPLED WITH 0-1 KM SRH OF AROUND 200 M2/S2
AND 0-6 KM SHEAR OF 60 KT /PER TLH VWP/...SETUP WILL REMAIN
FAVORABLE FOR DEEP UPDRAFT ROTATION WITH A RISK FOR A FEW TORNADOES
AND LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035.


...MEAD

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