Alert archive / Iowa / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 263

March 6, 201718 counties in Illinois; 46 counties in Iowa

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 6, 2017, 7:42 PM CST for 18 counties in Illinois; 46 counties in Iowa. It was in force for 63 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 6, 2017, 7:42 PM CST (01:42 UTC)
Expired
Mar 6, 2017, 8:45 PM CST
In force
63 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 64 counties

Allamakee County, IA, Appanoose County, IA, Benton County, IA, Black Hawk County, IA, Bremer County, IA, Buchanan County, IA, Butler County, IA, Cedar County, IA, Chickasaw County, IA, Clayton County, IA, Clinton County, IA, Davis County, IA, Delaware County, IA, Des Moines County, IA, Dubuque County, IA, Fayette County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Grundy County, IA, Henry County, IA, Howard County, IA, Iowa County, IA, Jackson County, IA, Jasper County, IA, Jefferson County, IA, Johnson County, IA, Jones County, IA, Keokuk County, IA, Lee County, IA, Linn County, IA, Louisa County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Mahaska County, IA, Marion County, IA, Marshall County, IA, Monroe County, IA, Muscatine County, IA, Polk County, IA, Poweshiek County, IA, Scott County, IA, Tama County, IA, Van Buren County, IA, Wapello County, IA, Warren County, IA, Washington County, IA, Wayne County, IA, Winneshiek County, IA, Bureau County, IL, Carroll County, IL, Henderson County, IL, Henry County, IL, Jo Daviess County, IL, Knox County, IL, Lee County, IL, Marshall County, IL, Mercer County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Peoria County, IL, Putnam County, IL, Rock Island County, IL, Stark County, IL, Stephenson County, IL, Warren County, IL, Whiteside County, IL, Winnebago County, IL

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:42 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.

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 94 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, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2017-03-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 39 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, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 2017-03-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 407 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
39 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-343 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1016 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
407 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
489 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

483 
ACUS11 KWNS 070143
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 070142 
ILZ000-WIZ000-IAZ000-MOZ000-MNZ000-070245-

Mesoscale Discussion 0263
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0742 PM CST Mon Mar 06 2017

Areas affected...eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois

Concerning...Tornado Watch 61...

Valid 070142Z - 070245Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 61 continues.

SUMMARY...The severe threat continues across the remainder of WW 61.
 This threat should eventually evolve eastward into downstream areas
of Illinois.  A new watch will be coordinated within the next hour
or so.

DISCUSSION...A strong to severe squall line has emerged across
central Iowa.  This line has been responsible for numerous reports
of hail and wind, along with occasional tornado reports.  These
storms are in an environment characterized by weak to moderate
instability, but very strong low-level and deep layer shear, which
has support occasional rotation and bow/LEWP-type patterns within
the line.

This line should gradually shift east of WW 61 over the next one to
two hours, with an attendant severe wind/hail and tornado threat
continuing downstream into Illinois.  A new severe weather watch
will be coordinated with affected offices within the next hour or
so.

..Cook/Guyer.. 03/07/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...LOT...ILX...MKX...DVN...ARX...DMX...EAX...

LAT...LON   43509242 43509179 43439127 43259114 42999104 42739081
            42589052 42519017 42498956 42508917 42198896 41558893
            40918919 40608989 40559081 40559173 40589243 40649255
            40659313 40659344 40699361 40969373 41279375 41679361
            42499316 43159275 43509242

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 6, 8:10 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander3 hr
Mar 6, 8:22 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian and 24 more2 hr
Mar 6, 8:52 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAdams, Bond, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll and 38 more6 hr
Mar 6, 10:15 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, DeKalb, DeWitt, Ford, Grundy, Kane and 11 more60 min
Mar 6, 10:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBoone, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Cook, DeKalb and 25 more4 hr
Mar 6, 11:13 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Bond, Calhoun, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland and 31 more2 hr
Mar 7, 1:53 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChampaign, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Iroquois and 3 more97 min
Mar 7, 2:58 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson and 8 more92 min
Mar 6, 6:11 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton and 57 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Illinois, 2017Every mesoscale discussion in 2017

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.