Alert archive / Georgia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 122

February 18, 2021Jefferson County, Madison County, Taylor County, Florida; 9 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 18, 2021, 1:43 PM EST for Jefferson County, Madison County, Taylor County, Florida; 9 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 92 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 18, 2021, 1:43 PM EST (18:43 UTC)
Expired
Feb 18, 2021, 3:15 PM EST
In force
92 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 11

Counties Jefferson County, FL, Madison County, FL, Taylor County, FL, Atkinson County, GA, Berrien County, GA, Brooks County, GA, Colquitt County, GA, Cook County, GA, Echols County, GA, Lanier County, GA, Lowndes County, GA, Thomas County, GA

The radar

The Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:41 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 nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 50 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2021-02-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 104 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2021-02-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 387 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
104 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
497 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
387 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
410 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

409 
ACUS11 KWNS 181843
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 181843 
GAZ000-FLZ000-182015-

Mesoscale Discussion 0122
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1243 PM CST Thu Feb 18 2021

Areas affected...the eastern Florida Panhandle through southern
Georgia

Concerning...Tornado Watch 11...

Valid 181843Z - 182015Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 11 continues.

SUMMARY...Threat for a couple of severe storms for the remaining
portion of WW 11 including the eastern Florida Panhandle through
southern GA will persist into the afternoon, but appears marginal.

DISCUSSION...Early this afternoon a band of mostly showers with a
few embedded thunderstorms persists from the central FL Panhandle
into southwest and south central GA and is associated with modest
ascent along a 40 kt southwesterly low level jet. Destabilization of
the boundary layer in this region has been slow and gradual due to
anvil plumes spreading downstream. Moreover, mid-level lapse rates
are very weak with an inversion evident between 700 and 500 mb.
Trends in VWP data from Tallahassee show winds have veered to
southwesterly in the lowest 2 km resulting in relatively small 0-1
km hodographs in warm sector, but deep shear of 40-45 kt remains
supportive of updraft rotation. Given the potential limiting factors
in the thermodynamic and low-level kinematic environment as well as
limited forcing for ascent through a deeper layer, overall threat
appears somewhat marginal this afternoon, but a couple of severe
storms cannot be ruled out.

..Dial.. 02/18/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...JAX...TAE...

LAT...LON   29488457 30218419 31238378 31458270 30638290 29618380
            29488457

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 11:18 PM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBay, Calhoun, Escambia, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and 2 more2 hr
Feb 18, 2:49 AM ESTTornado WatchSPCBay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes and 7 more6 hr
Feb 18, 5:54 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBay, Gulf2 hr
Feb 18, 8:09 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson and 4 more2 hr
Feb 18, 8:45 AM ESTTornado WatchSPCBay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson and 6 more7 hr
Feb 18, 11:35 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Wakulla115 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Florida, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.