Alert archive / Kentucky / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1964

December 6, 202116 counties in Kentucky; Mississippi County, Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Dec 6, 2021, 2:47 AM CST for 16 counties in Kentucky; Mississippi County, Missouri. It was in force for 88 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 6, 2021, 2:47 AM CST (08:47 UTC)
Expired
Dec 6, 2021, 4:15 AM CST
In force
88 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 551

Counties Ballard County, KY, Caldwell County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Christian County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Hopkins County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Lyon County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY, Muhlenberg County, KY, Todd County, KY, Trigg County, KY, Mississippi County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:50 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 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 185 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 00:00Z on 2021-12-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 666 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 00:00Z on 2021-12-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 346 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
666 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
658 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
346 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
484 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
5.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

843 
ACUS11 KWNS 060847
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 060847 
KYZ000-TNZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-061015-

Mesoscale Discussion 1964
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0247 AM CST Mon Dec 06 2021

Areas affected...southwestern Kentucky

Concerning...Tornado Watch 551...

Valid 060847Z - 061015Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 551 continues.

SUMMARY...Local risk for severe weather -- mainly in the form of
gusty/damaging winds -- will continue over the next couple of hours.
 As WW 551 nears its scheduled 10Z expiration, new/downstream WW
issuance is not anticipated.

DISCUSSION...Latest radar loop shows a frontal band of convection
moving across northern and western Kentucky at this time.  The
strongest storms within the broader bend exist within in a short
segment about to cross the Mississippi River from far southeastern
Missouri and into far western Kentucky.

Ahead of the frontal band, a secondary, loosely organized zone of
pre-frontal convection is indicated.  Ahead of the front across
Kentucky, a seasonally moist boundary layer (dewpoints in the mid
50s to near 60) is contributing to modest, slightly elevated CAPE
(at or below 500 J/kg), which will support continuation of
convection near and ahead of the front through the morning.

However, given the aforementioned, weakly stable boundary layer, and
flow aloft aligned roughly along the front/convective band, severe
potential should continue to remain limited/local.  As such, current
indications are that WW 551 can be allowed to expire at 10Z, with a
new WW not required to cover very limited, lingering severe risk.

..Goss.. 12/06/2021

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

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

LAT...LON   36548970 37058916 37548733 37238695 36798706 36398930
            36548970

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 5, 8:06 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBallard, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves and 5 more114 min
Dec 5, 8:59 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBallard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden and 16 more7 hr
Dec 5, 11:28 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBallard, Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle and 27 more2 hr
Dec 6, 5:06 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Allen, Barren, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland and 8 more114 min
Dec 5, 8:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarry, Christian, Douglas, Dunklin, Howell, McDonald and 6 more7 hr
Dec 5, 11:17 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHowell, Ozark118 min
Dec 6, 3:01 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDunklin, Pemiscot59 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Kentucky, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Missouri, 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.