Tornado Watch 95

Issued

Mar 20, 2012, 10:59 PM CDT (03:59 UTC)

Expired

Mar 21, 2012, 6:00 AM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:00 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

5%

Ten or more severe hail reports

10%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

5%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

70%

• Mesoscale Discussion 312Mar 20, 10:23 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 313Mar 21, 2:17 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 314Mar 21, 4:38 AM CDT

223 
WWUS20 KWNS 210355
SEL5  
SPC WW 210355
ARZ000-LAZ000-211100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 95
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1055 PM CDT TUE MAR 20 2012

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

       SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS
       NORTHERN AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 1055 PM
UNTIL 600 AM CDT.

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 35 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF EL
DORADO ARKANSAS TO 55 MILES SOUTH OF FORT POLK LOUISIANA.  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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 94...

DISCUSSION...A NARROW ZONE OF VERY STRONG LOW LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR
EXTENDS FROM SOUTHWEST LA INTO CENTRAL AR.  ISOLATED CELLS CONTINUE
TO EXHIBIT TRANSIENT BUT STRONG MESOCYCLONES CAPABLE OF TORNADOES
AND DAMAGING WINDS.  DESPITE THE WEAK INSTABILITY...THE THREAT FOR
THIS ACTIVITY MAY PERSIST FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT.

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 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 21030.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2012Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 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.