Tornado Watch 96

Issued

Apr 11, 2013, 11:56 AM CDT (16:56 UTC)

Expired

Apr 11, 2013, 7:00 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:58 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

30%

Ten or more severe hail reports

20%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

10%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 442Apr 11, 10:41 AM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 445Apr 11, 2:21 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 451Apr 11, 5:54 PM CDT

746 
WWUS20 KWNS 111657
SEL6  
SPC WW 111657
ALZ000-TNZ000-120000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 96
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1200 PM CDT THU APR 11 2013

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

       WEST CENTRAL INTO NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA
       SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM NOON UNTIL 700
PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 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 55 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF
MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI TO 25 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF HUNTSVILLE
ALABAMA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

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 95...

DISCUSSION...PRE-FRONTAL SUPERCELL HAS FORMED IN E CENTRAL MS AND
WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NEWD INTO WRN AL AROUND THE TIME THE STORM
MERGES WITH THE FRONTAL BAND OF CONVECTION IMMEDIATELY TO ITS W. 
SOME SURFACE HEATING IN A FEW CLOUD BREAKS AND INCREASING LOW-LEVEL
MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN DESTABILIZATION AND THE LIKELIHOOD THAT
STORMS IN THE LINE WILL STRENGTHEN THIS AFTERNOON WITH AN ATTENDANT
RISK FOR DAMAGING WINDS.  THE TORNADO THREAT WILL BE LARGELY
DEPENDENT ON THE FORMATION OF MORE DISCRETE STORMS AHEAD OF THE
LINE...THOUGH LOW-LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR CIRCULATIONS
WITHIN THE LINE.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040.


...THOMPSON

Tornado 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.