Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Watches in 2014

Tornado Watch 50

April 3, 201416 counties in Illinois; 9 counties in Kentucky; 18 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 3, 2014, 12:46 PM CDT for 16 counties in Illinois; 9 counties in Kentucky; 18 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 3, 2014, 12:46 PM CDT (17:46 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 2014, 5:03 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 43 counties

Alexander County, IL, Franklin County, IL, Gallatin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Hardin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Jefferson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Massac County, IL, Perry County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Saline County, IL, Union County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Butler County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Carter County, MO, Crawford County, MO, Iron County, MO, Madison County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Perry County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Washington County, MO, Wayne County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:46 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
50%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
30%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
Ten or more severe hail reports
40%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

Warnings issued inside it

2 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 1:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXCrawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Washington8 hr
Apr 3, 3:19 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHFranklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Wayne3 hr

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KBYH), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 300 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2014-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1351 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2014-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 248 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1351 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
604 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
318 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
9.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

147 
WWUS20 KWNS 031742
SEL0  
SPC WW 031742
ILZ000-KYZ000-MOZ000-040000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1245 PM CDT THU APR 3 2014

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
  SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
  WESTERN KENTUCKY
  SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1245 PM
  UNTIL 700 PM CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
  SEVERAL TORNADOES WITH A FEW INTENSE TORNADOES POSSIBLE
  SEVERAL LARGE HAIL EVENTS WITH A FEW VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2
    INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE
  SEVERAL DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 55 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
FARMINGTON MISSOURI TO 40 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF PADUCAH
KENTUCKY.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

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 49...

DISCUSSION...A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN MO WILL TRACK
EASTWARD ACROSS THE WATCH AREA THIS AFTERNOON.  INCREASING
INSTABILITY IN THIS REGION...COUPLED WITH FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL
VERTICAL SHEAR WILL PROMOTE A RISK OF SEVERE STORMS...INCLUDING
SUPERCELLS.  A RESIDUAL OUTFLOW BOUNDARY WILL FURTHER ENHANCE THE
LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND POSE A RISK OF A FEW TORNADOES.

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
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035.


...HART

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 1:05 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Mercer, Rock Island and 2 more55 min
Apr 3, 2:49 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Bond, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Cass and 44 more116 min
Apr 3, 6:24 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Clay, Clinton, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin and 12 more96 min
Apr 3, 9:22 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHardin, Massac, Pope83 min
Apr 3, 12:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson and 10 more62 min
Apr 3, 3:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Pike58 min
Apr 3, 4:58 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCMonroe, Randolph, Saint Clair7 hr
Apr 3, 5:16 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Harlan, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Leslie and 6 more89 min
Apr 2, 9:36 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Bates, Benton, Camden, Cass, Cedar and 18 more54 min
Apr 2, 9:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarton, Bates, Benton, Camden, Carroll, Cass and 21 more7 hr
Apr 3, 12:00 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Bates, Benton, Camden, Carroll, Cass and 22 more90 min
Apr 3, 9:18 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Camden, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas and 18 more57 min
Apr 3, 9:33 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBarry, Camden, Christian, Dallas, Dent, Douglas and 19 more7 hr
Apr 3, 12:05 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Camden, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas and 19 more55 min
Apr 3, 12:33 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Cedar, Christian and 15 more87 min
Apr 3, 1:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBarry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Camden, Cass and 29 more8 hr
Apr 3, 3:48 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Barton, Benton, Camden, Cedar, Christian and 18 more57 min
Apr 3, 4:34 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDent, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon26 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2014Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2014Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2014Every tornado watch in 2014

Sources

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.