Tornado Watch 16

Issued

Feb 20, 2014, 6:49 PM CST (00:49 UTC)

Expired

Feb 21, 2014, 12:59 AM CST

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

1.5 in

Strongest gust expected

65 kt

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:51 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

70%

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 126 Tornado watch 11Feb 20, 5:29 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 127Feb 20, 5:55 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 130Feb 20, 8:01 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 132Feb 20, 9:29 PM CST
• Mesoscale Discussion 135Feb 20, 11:43 PM CST

748 
WWUS20 KWNS 210056
SEL6  
SPC WW 210056
ALZ000-TNZ000-210900-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 16
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
650 PM CST THU FEB 20 2014

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
  NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA
  MIDDLE TENNESSEE

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 650 PM
  UNTIL 300 AM CST.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
  SEVERAL TORNADOES POSSIBLE
  SEVERAL DAMAGING WIND GUSTS LIKELY WITH A FEW SIGNIFICANT GUSTS
    TO 75 MPH POSSIBLE
  A FEW LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
NASHVILLE TENNESSEE TO 25 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SELMA ALABAMA. 
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 9...WW 11...WW 13...WW
14...WW 15...

DISCUSSION...WITH THE GLANCING INFLUENCE OF POTENT MIDWEST SHORTWAVE
TROUGH YET TO AFFECT REGION...AND CONTINUED LOW-LVL MOISTURE
INFLOW...SETUP APPEARS FAVORABLE FOR THE CONTINUED ENE MOVEMENT AND
POSSIBLE STRENGTHENING OF NNE-SSW SQLN NOW APPROACHING MIDDLE TN.
EMBEDDED LEWPS AND SUSTAINED STORMS/SUPERCELLS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
DMGG WIND AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO OR TWO SWD INTO NRN/WRN AL GIVEN
INTENSITY OF LOW TO MID-WIND FIELD /700 MB SPEEDS AOA 50 KTS/. ONE
OR TWO MORE ISOLD SVR STORMS ALSO MAY AFFECT SRN PARTS OF THE WW
AREA LATER TNGT AS CONVECTION CONTINUES TO FORM AND MOVE NEWD FROM
CONFLUENCE ZONE NOW STRADDLING THE MS-AL BORDER S OF MERIDIAN.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24050.


...CORFIDI

Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 2014Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2014Every tornado watch in 2014

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.