Tornado Watch 97

Issued

Mar 21, 2012, 10:07 AM CDT (15:07 UTC)

Expired

Mar 21, 2012, 6:00 PM CDT

In force

8 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

Two or more tornadoes

40%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

10%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

10%

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

60%

• Mesoscale Discussion 315Mar 21, 7:48 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 316Mar 21, 9:25 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 317Mar 21, 12:19 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 320Mar 21, 3:47 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 321Mar 21, 5:40 PM CDT

401 
WWUS20 KWNS 211511
SEL7
SPC WW 211511
LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-212300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 97
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1010 AM CDT WED MAR 21 2012

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

       SOUTHEAST AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
       CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1010 AM UNTIL
600 PM 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 70 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES WEST OF BOOTHVILLE
LOUISIANA TO 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF JACKSON MISSISSIPPI.  FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

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 96. WATCH NUMBER 96 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1010
AM CDT.

DISCUSSION...BAND OF STRONG/SEVERE STORMS FROM NERN LA INTO SERN LA
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING SLOWLY EWD THIS AFTERNOON.  RADAR HAS
INDICATED A SERIES OF EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS/LEWP STRUCTURES WITHIN THE
BAND...AND POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON
AS THE LOW LEVEL ENVIRONMENT WARMS AND SLOWLY MOISTENS.  VWP FROM
KLIX SHOWS 40-50 KT WINDS IN THE LOWEST 1-2 KM THAT VEER WITH HEIGHT
RESULTING IN STRONG LOW LEVER SHEAR/SRN SUPPORTIVE OF  SUPERCELL
STRUCTURES CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND  A FEW
TORNADOES.

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 20035.


...WEISS

Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2012Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 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.