Alert archive / Kentucky / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 134

February 28, 202110 counties in Kentucky; 4 counties in Tennessee

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 28, 2021, 7:49 AM CST for 10 counties in Kentucky; 4 counties in Tennessee. It was in force for 116 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 28, 2021, 7:49 AM CST (13:49 UTC)
Expired
Feb 28, 2021, 9:45 AM CST
In force
116 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Butler County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Christian County, KY, Graves County, KY, Logan County, KY, Marshall County, KY, Muhlenberg County, KY, Todd County, KY, Trigg County, KY, Warren County, KY, Henry County, TN, Obion County, TN, Stewart County, TN, Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:48 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 134 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2021-02-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 50 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2021-02-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 480 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
50 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
695 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
480 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
488 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

236 
ACUS11 KWNS 281349
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 281349 
KYZ000-TNZ000-281545-

Mesoscale Discussion 0134
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0749 AM CST Sun Feb 28 2021

Areas affected...far northwest Tennessee into southwest Kentucky

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 281349Z - 281545Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...A brief tornado cannot be ruled out with storms ongoing
over northwest Tennessee into southwest Kentucky over the next
couple hours.

DISCUSSION...An east/west oriented band of storms is currently
ongoing near a warm front, and situated near the northeastern extent
of the 500 J/kg MUCAPE axis where dewpoints have risen into the 60s
F.

While instability is not particularly strong, shear is quite
favorable for supercells and potentially tornadoes with effective
SRH (most of it concentrated in the lowest 1 km) over 300 m2/s2. The
12Z BNA sounding depicts a favorable hodograph, but meager buoyancy.
Modifying this sounding for a surface temperature closer to 70 F
would produce more favorable low-level buoyancy.

In the near term, a cell or two may strengthen within the ongoing
band of storms, with either damaging gusts or a brief tornado
possible.

..Jewell/Edwards.. 02/28/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...LMK...OHX...PAH...MEG...

LAT...LON   36378800 36148913 36238933 36358937 36628903 36918843
            37428658 37238624 36978630 36628693 36378800

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 28, 1:01 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFulton119 min
Feb 28, 2:22 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAllen, Calloway, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hickman and 5 more8 hr
Feb 28, 4:40 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalloway, Christian, Logan, Simpson, Todd, Trigg95 min
Feb 27, 6:06 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBedford, Benton, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester and 28 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Kentucky, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Tennessee, 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.