Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Watches in 2023
Tornado Watch 4
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 2, 2023, 8:59 PM CST for 18 counties in Arkansas; 14 parishes in Louisiana; 4 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jan 2, 2023, 8:59 PM CST (02:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 3, 2023, 3:00 AM CST
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 36 counties
Calhoun County, AR, Clark County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Columbia County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Grant County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Howard County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Little River County, AR, Miller County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Pike County, AR, Sevier County, AR, Union County, AR, Bienville Parish, LA, Bossier Parish, LA, Caddo Parish, LA, Claiborne Parish, LA, De Soto Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Sabine Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Webster Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Panola County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, Shelby County, TX
The radar
The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:59 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
- 30%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 70%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 10%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 20%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 10%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 90%
Warnings issued inside it
15 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2, 9:03 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Bossier, Caddo, De Soto | 3 hr |
| Jan 2, 9:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Drew, Lincoln | 50 min |
| Jan 2, 9:55 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Clark, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Pulaski, Saline | 3 hr |
| Jan 2, 9:56 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Desha, Jefferson, Lincoln | 34 min |
| Jan 2, 10:12 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln | 7 hr |
| Jan 2, 10:57 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Cleveland, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln and 2 more | 48 min |
| Jan 2, 10:59 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Ouachita | 3 hr |
| Jan 2, 11:24 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Columbia, Union | 3 hr |
| Jan 2, 11:38 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Desha, Jefferson, Lincoln, Monroe | 37 min |
| Jan 3, 12:09 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Jefferson, Lincoln, Monroe | 5 hr |
| Jan 3, 12:31 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Arkansas, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lincoln | 44 min |
| Jan 3, 1:45 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Clark, Dallas, Ouachita | 3 hr |
| Jan 3, 1:52 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | LZK | Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Ouachita | 5 hr |
| Jan 3, 1:55 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | SHV | Columbia, Nevada, Union | 3 hr |
| Jan 3, 2:27 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Panola, Rusk, Shelby | 48 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, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 114 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 396 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -135 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 715 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 357 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 446 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 2.1
The text
As transmitted.
542 WWUS20 KWNS 030256 SEL4 SPC WW 030256 ARZ000-LAZ000-TXZ000-030900- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 4 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 900 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of Southern Arkansas North central and northwest Louisiana Extreme east Texas * Effective this Monday night and Tuesday morning from 900 PM until 300 AM CST. * Primary threats include... A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely Isolated large hail events to 1 inch in diameter possible SUMMARY...Clusters and bands of storms with embedded supercell structures will likely persist well into the early morning hours, with an attendant threat for tornadoes (one or two of which could be strong), damaging gusts, and isolated large hail. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 45 statute miles east and west of a line from 40 miles west of Pine Bluff AR to 25 miles west southwest of Natchitoches LA. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4). 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...This tornado watch replaces tornado watch number 1. Watch number 1 will not be in effect after 900 PM CST. CONTINUE...WW 2...WW 3... AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 22040. ...Thompson
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2, 6:01 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia and 23 more | 89 min |
| Jan 2, 6:29 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew and 2 more | 9 hr |
| Jan 2, 7:09 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Greene | 96 min |
| Jan 2, 8:31 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Crittenden, Desha and 5 more | 89 min |
| Jan 2, 10:11 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Crittenden, Lee, Mississippi, Phillips, St. Francis | 5 hr |
| Jan 2, 11:17 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Arkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland and 15 more | 118 min |
| Jan 3, 1:36 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew, Phillips and 1 more | 114 min |
| Jan 3, 2:56 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ashley, Chicot, Desha, Drew, Phillips, Union | 8 hr |
| Jan 3, 7:56 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Evangeline and 8 more | 2 hr |
| Jan 3, 9:14 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee and 6 more | 8 hr |
| Jan 3, 5:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Concordia, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, Saint Helena, Washington, West Feliciana | 9 hr |
| Jan 2, 11:59 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Camp, Delta, Franklin, Freestone, Henderson and 11 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2023Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2023Tornado Watches in Texas, 2023Every tornado watch in 2023
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.