Tornado Watch 80

Issued

Mar 18, 2012, 3:12 PM CDT (20:12 UTC)

Expired

Mar 18, 2012, 10:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

3 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:14 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

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

20%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

20%

Ten or more severe hail reports

80%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

70%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 273Mar 18, 2:31 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 275Mar 18, 5:36 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 277Mar 18, 7:37 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 279Mar 18, 9:10 PM CDT

695 
WWUS20 KWNS 182017 CCA
SEL0
SPC WW 182017 CCA
OKZ000-TXZ000-190300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 80...CORRECTED
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
315 PM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012

CORRECTED FOR TYPO IN STATE LISTING

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

       FAR WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND THE EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE
       PARTS OF NORTHWEST TEXAS INTO THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 315 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 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 55 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF
GAGE OKLAHOMA TO 45 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF ABILENE TEXAS.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

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.

DISCUSSION...VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS DEEPENING CUMULUS ALONG
AND E OF THE DRYLINE FROM BIG SPRING TX NWD THROUGH THE CENTRAL/ERN
TX PANHANDLE...WITH THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT
BETWEEN CHILDRESS AND BIG SPRING BY 21Z.  THE STORM ENVIRONMENT IS
BECOMING MORE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS AS BOTH DEEP-LAYER AND
LOW-LEVEL SHEAR INCREASE IN CONJUNCTION WITH DAYTIME HEATING/
DESTABILIZATION.  VERY LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THE
SUSTAINED SUPERCELLS THROUGH THE EVENING...AND A FEW TORNADOES WILL
ALSO BE POSSIBLE GIVEN TEMPERATURE-DEWPOINT SPREADS GENERALLY AOB 20
F AND INCREASING EFFECTIVE SRH THROUGH THE EVENING.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2012Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.