Tornado Watch 70

Issued

Mar 31, 2016, 2:35 PM CDT (19:35 UTC)

Expired

Mar 31, 2016, 9:44 PM CDT

In force

7 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

2.5 in

Strongest gust expected

60 kt

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 160 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:39 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

30%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

10%

Ten or more severe hail reports

70%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

60%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

90%

• Mesoscale Discussion 306Mar 31, 1:30 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 309Mar 31, 3:30 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 311Mar 31, 4:47 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 315Mar 31, 6:52 PM CDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 319Mar 31, 9:26 PM CDT

957 
WWUS20 KWNS 311933
SEL0  
SPC WW 311933
ARZ000-MSZ000-TNZ000-010300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 70
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
230 PM CDT THU MAR 31 2016

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
  EXTREME EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
  CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI
  SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
  1000 PM CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
  A FEW TORNADOES AND A COUPLE INTENSE TORNADOES POSSIBLE
  SCATTERED LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2.5
    INCHES IN DIAMETER LIKELY
  ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE

SUMMARY...THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
MISSISSIPPI THROUGH THE AFTERNOON/EVENING...AND ALSO CONTINUE ACROSS
SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.  THE MAIN TORNADO RISK WILL BE FOCUSED CLOSER
TO NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS EVENING...THOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO
OR TWO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH STORMS FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST. 
OTHERWISE...SUPERCELLS WITH LARGE HAIL WITH LARGE HAIL ARE
EXPECTED...AND THERE WILL BE SOME POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH INTO
THUNDERSTORM CLUSTERS WITH A DAMAGING WIND RISK LATER THIS EVENING.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 85 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTH OF OXFORD
MISSISSIPPI TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF JACKSON MISSISSIPPI.  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 68...WW 69...

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035.


...THOMPSON

Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2016Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2016Every tornado watch in 2016

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.