Alert archive / Tennessee / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 551

May 6, 20215 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 6, 2021, 12:02 PM CDT for 5 states. It was in force for 118 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 6, 2021, 12:02 PM CDT (17:02 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2021, 2:00 PM CDT
In force
118 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
60%
All 55 counties

Clay County, AR, Craighead County, AR, Greene County, AR, Lawrence County, AR, Mississippi County, AR, Randolph County, AR, Alexander County, IL, Hardin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Massac County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Saline County, IL, Union County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Crittenden County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Lyon County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY, Trigg County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Butler County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Dunklin County, MO, Madison County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Pemiscot County, MO, Perry County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Wayne County, MO, Benton County, TN, Carroll County, TN, Crockett County, TN, Dyer County, TN, Gibson County, TN, Haywood County, TN, Henderson County, TN, Henry County, TN, Lake County, TN, Lauderdale County, TN, Madison County, TN, Obion County, TN, Tipton County, TN, Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:03 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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 201 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2021-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2021-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1745 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

276 
ACUS11 KWNS 061703
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 061702 
TNZ000-KYZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-ARZ000-061900-

Mesoscale Discussion 0551
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1202 PM CDT Thu May 06 2021

Areas affected...Southeast MO/MO Bootheel...Southern IL...Far
Western KY...Western TN...Northeast AR

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 061702Z - 061900Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...60 percent

SUMMARY...Large hail and damaging wind gusts are possible across the
region this afternoon as strong to severe thunderstorms develop
along and ahead of the cold front.

DISCUSSION...Updrafts continue to deepen within the convective
cluster along and ahead of the cold front moving southeastward into
southeast MO and adjacent southern IL. Expectation is for these
storms to continued to strengthen as they move into the slightly
warmer and more moist air mass downstream. 

Cold mid-level temperatures and resulting steep lapse rates will
support moderate buoyancy, despite the relatively modest low-level
moisture. Strong unidirectional deep-layer flow will result in fast
storm motion as well as the potential for a strong, convectively
augmented wind gusts. Additionally, given the cold mid-level
temperatures and moderate mid-level flow, hail is also possible with
the stronger updrafts. Anticipated strong to severe nature of the
storms merits possible watch issuance and convective trends are
being monitored closely.

..Mosier/Grams.. 05/06/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...OHX...PAH...MEG...LSX...LZK...

LAT...LON   37339077 38128968 37758824 36678775 35638830 35248919
            35329036 36129123 37339077

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 10:05 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Crittenden, Mississippi85 min
May 6, 12:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson and 4 more5 hr
May 6, 2:45 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Mississippi and 1 more90 min
May 6, 9:52 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin and 7 more83 min
May 6, 1:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChampaign, Christian, Coles, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas and 10 more2 hr
May 6, 5:11 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Coffee, Davidson, Franklin and 18 more94 min

Nearby

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