Tornado Watch 53

Issued

Mar 18, 2013, 3:16 PM CDT (20:16 UTC)

Expired

Mar 18, 2013, 9:00 PM CDT

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:18 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

50%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

20%

Ten or more severe wind reports

60%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

40%

Ten or more severe hail reports

60%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

40%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 277Mar 18, 1:10 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 278Mar 18, 1:11 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 280Mar 18, 4:57 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 281Mar 18, 7:03 PM CDT

584 
WWUS20 KWNS 182016
SEL3  
SPC WW 182016
ALZ000-GAZ000-190200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 53
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
415 PM EDT MON MAR 18 2013

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

       EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
       WESTERN GEORGIA

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 415 PM UNTIL
1000 PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 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 85 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF ATLANTA
GEORGIA TO 45 MILES EAST OF TROY ALABAMA.  FOR A COMPLETE
DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

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 52...

DISCUSSION...ISOLATED AND DISCRETE THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORMING OVER
EASTERN AL...IN REGION OF 300-400 M2/S2 EFFECTIVE SRH VALUES AND
FAVORABLE DEEP-LAYER SHEAR.  POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A FEW OF THESE
STORMS TO BECOME SUPERCELLULAR WITH THE RISK OF HAIL AND AN ISOLATED
TORNADO OR TWO.  OTHERWISE...FAST-MOVING BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER
WESTERN AL WILL AFFECT THE WATCH AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING WITH A RISK OF DAMAGING WINDS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27035.


...HART

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2013Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2013Every tornado watch in 2013

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.