Alert archive / Florida / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 97

February 15, 20217 counties in Florida

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 15, 2021, 7:38 PM EST for 7 counties in Florida. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 15, 2021, 7:38 PM EST (00:38 UTC)
Expired
Feb 15, 2021, 9:45 PM EST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 8

Counties Alachua County, FL, Bradford County, FL, Citrus County, FL, Clay County, FL, Duval County, FL, Hernando County, FL, Marion County, FL

The radar

The Jacksonville radar (KJAX), 141 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:41 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

Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 143 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 2021-02-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1374 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 2021-02-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 322 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
1374 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-50 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
678 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
322 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
422 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
11.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

675 
ACUS11 KWNS 160038
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 160038 
FLZ000-GAZ000-160245-

Mesoscale Discussion 0097
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0638 PM CST Mon Feb 15 2021

Areas affected...Florida coastal areas north of Tampa into
northeastern Florida

Concerning...Tornado Watch 8...

Valid 160038Z - 160245Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 8 continues.

SUMMARY...Intensification of inland advancing thunderstorms is
possible across interior northern Florida, near and northeast of the
Gainesville and Ocala vicinities, by 8-9 PM EST.  This may pose the
risk for a couple of tornadoes and damaging wind gusts.

Destabilization along coastal areas closer to Tampa is being
monitored.  It is possible that a severe weather watch may be
needed, but not yet certain.

DISCUSSION...Aided by advection within broadly cyclonic, 40-50 kt
south-southwesterly deep-layer mean flow, a broken pre-frontal
squall line continues to gradually progress inland of coastal areas
to the northwest of Cedar Key.  Nearly coincident with a 40-50 kt
southerly 850 mb jet, low-level shear is contributing to the
evolution of small-scale mesovortices within a number of embedded
organized convective structures.  However, based on objective
analyses, activity is progressing across a weakly unstable to stable
boundary-layer, across the coastal waters into coastal areas.  This
may tend to limit the severe weather potential; but, as activity
encounters the remnants of a heated and lingering unstable
boundary-layer over interior northern Florida, there appears
potential for intensification of activity near and north-northeast
of the Gainesville and Ocala vicinities by 01-02Z.

To the southwest, low-level moistening off the eastern Gulf of
Mexico may contribute to increasing destabilization along coastal
areas closer to Tampa by 02-04Z.  This could be accompanied by the
inland progression of vigorous convection, including a supercell
structure or two which could pose a risk for damaging wind gusts
and/or a tornado.

..Kerr.. 02/16/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...TBW...JAX...

LAT...LON   29958240 30628192 30578151 29108199 27878289 28088344
            28928293 29958240

Nearby

Mesoscale 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.