Tornado Watch 85

Issued

Mar 19, 2012, 2:39 PM CDT (19:39 UTC)

Expired

Mar 19, 2012, 9:53 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:41 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

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

70%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

50%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 290Mar 19, 2:15 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 294Mar 19, 6:05 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 297Mar 19, 8:22 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 299Mar 19, 9:46 PM CDT

581 
WWUS20 KWNS 191940
SEL5  
SPC WW 191940
TXZ000-200300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
240 PM CDT MON MAR 19 2012

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

       CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 240 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2.5 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 60 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
SHERMAN TEXAS TO 85 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF JUNCTION TEXAS.  FOR
A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

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...CONVECTION HAS SHOWN A TENDENCY TO INTENSIFY ALONG AN
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT IS DRIFTING EWD ACROSS CENTRAL/N CENTRAL
TX...PARTIALLY AIDED BY THE GLANCING INFLUENCE OF AN EMBEDDED SPEED
MAX EJECTING NEWD OVER W TX.  MODERATE-STRONG INSTABILITY IS PRESENT
E OF THE BOUNDARY...AND VERTICAL SHEAR IS FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS
AS WELL AS BOWING SEGMENTS.  AS A RESULT...THE RISK FOR LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS SHOULD INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST INTO
THIS EVENING.  ADDITIONALLY...ANY OF THE STORMS ROOTED ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A FEW
TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23045.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Texas, 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.