Tornado Watch 53

Issued

Apr 3, 2014, 4:58 PM CDT (21:58 UTC)

Expired

Apr 4, 2014, 12:00 AM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:01 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

60%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

50%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

20%

Ten or more severe hail reports

50%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

30%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 262Apr 3, 1:46 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 264Apr 3, 3:17 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 265Apr 3, 3:48 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 266Apr 3, 4:34 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 270Apr 3, 7:26 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 271Apr 3, 8:16 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 272Apr 3, 8:44 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 273Apr 3, 10:45 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 274Apr 3, 11:40 PM CDT

799 
WWUS20 KWNS 032158
SEL3  
SPC WW 032158
ARZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-040500-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 53
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
500 PM CDT THU APR 3 2014

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
  CENTRAL ARKANSAS
  EXTREME SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS
  EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON FROM 500 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT
  CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
  SEVERAL TORNADOES LIKELY 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 60 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF
HOT SPRINGS ARKANSAS TO 65 MILES NORTHEAST OF VICHY MISSOURI. 
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 49...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50. WATCH NUMBER 49 50
WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 500 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 51...WW
52...

DISCUSSION...CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE WARM FRONT/OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY FROM CENTRAL INTO E CENTRAL MO...AND OTHER STORMS WILL
LIKELY SPREAD INTO THE WATCH AREA FROM THE W THIS EVENING AS THE LOW
LEVELS WARM AND MOISTEN IN THE WAKE OF EARLIER STORMS.  THE
COMBINATION OF VERTICAL SHEAR AND INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT RISKS OF
TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL THROUGH LATE EVENING.

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 24035.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2014Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2014Tornado Watches in Illinois, 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.