Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2021

Tornado Watch 555

December 10, 20218 counties in Arkansas; McCurtain County, Oklahoma; 10 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 10, 2021, 6:34 PM CST for 8 counties in Arkansas; McCurtain County, Oklahoma; 10 counties in Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 10, 2021, 6:34 PM CST (00:34 UTC)
Expired
Dec 10, 2021, 11:00 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Columbia County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Howard County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Little River County, AR, Miller County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Sevier County, AR, McCurtain County, OK, Bowie County, TX, Camp County, TX, Cass County, TX, Franklin County, TX, Marion County, TX, Morris County, TX, Red River County, TX, Titus County, TX, Upshur County, TX, Wood County, TX

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:33 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
50%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
40%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
40%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

Warnings issued inside it

9 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 10, 7:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatSHVLittle River, Sevier55 min
Dec 10, 7:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Howard, Little River, Nevada, Sevier45 min
Dec 10, 8:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Howard, Little River, Sevier45 min
Dec 10, 8:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Howard, Nevada62 min
Dec 10, 9:08 PM CSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatSHVHempstead4 hr
Dec 10, 9:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Nevada29 min
Dec 10, 10:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVLittle River, Miller55 min
Dec 10, 10:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVCamp, Cass, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Titus and 1 more67 min
Dec 10, 10:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Lafayette, Nevada62 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 142 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2021-12-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1338 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, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2021-12-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 243 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
1338 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1005 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
334 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.6
Supercell composite
10.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

147 
WWUS20 KWNS 110030
SEL5  
SPC WW 110030
ARZ000-OKZ000-TXZ000-110500-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 555
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
635 PM CST Fri Dec 10 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Southwest Arkansas
  Far southeast Oklahoma
  Northeast Texas

* Effective this Friday evening from 635 PM until 1100 PM CST.

* Primary threats include...
  A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible
  Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...Discrete supercell should intensify as it impinges on
greater low-level shear near the Texarkana area, with a strong
tornado possible as it spreads across southwest Arkansas. Additional
storms will form along the cold front later this evening with mainly
a wind/hail threat.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
east and west of a line from 25 miles northeast of De Queen AR to 60
miles southwest of Texarkana AR. For a complete depiction of the
watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 552...WW 553...WW 554...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
storm motion vector 24035.

...Grams

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 10, 6:22 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCraighead, Greene, Jackson, Mississippi, Poinsett53 min
Dec 10, 6:37 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin and 10 more83 min
Dec 10, 6:51 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin and 10 more4 hr
Dec 10, 7:34 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClark, Crittenden, Cross, Faulkner, Garland, Grant and 16 more86 min
Dec 10, 7:54 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan and 7 more2 hr
Dec 10, 9:40 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Clark, Cleveland, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross and 13 more2 hr
Dec 10, 10:00 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAshley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Columbia, Desha and 5 more90 min
Dec 10, 10:09 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland and 17 more96 min
Dec 10, 10:44 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland and 16 more6 hr
Dec 11, 2:00 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Desha and 4 more90 min
Dec 11, 1:36 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAngelina, Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Cherokee, Colorado and 23 more114 min
Dec 11, 4:02 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHardin, Jasper, Liberty, Montgomery, Newton, Orange and 5 more118 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2021Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2021Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2021Every tornado watch 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.