Alert archive / Kentucky / Mesoscale Discussions in 2024

Mesoscale Discussion 721

May 8, 20244 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 8, 2024, 10:34 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 86 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 8, 2024, 10:34 PM CDT (03:34 UTC)
Expired: May 9, 2024, 12:00 AM CDT
In force: 86 min
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning: Tornado watch 212

All 33 counties

Clay 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, Union County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Caldwell County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Christian 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, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:33 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 248 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 3301 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 746 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 221 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.9
Supercell composite: 13.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

993 
ACUS11 KWNS 090334
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 090334 
KYZ000-TNZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-ARZ000-090500-

Mesoscale Discussion 0721
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1034 PM CDT Wed May 08 2024

Areas affected...southeastern Missouri...southern Illinois...and
western Kentucky

Concerning...Tornado Watch 212...

Valid 090334Z - 090500Z

The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 212 continues.

SUMMARY...Risk for damaging winds and hail, and a couple of
tornadoes, continues across the discussion area (within Tornado
Watch 212).

DISCUSSION...A bowing band of storms is moving out of southeastern
Missouri into southern Illinois at this time, while more
isolated/rotating cells continue to gradually increase in coverage
from the Missouri Bootheel into western Kentucky.  With this area on
the northern fringe of a moderately unstable airmass, storms will
likely maintain intensity over the next couple of hours.  Aided by
veering low-level flow that increase to 50-plus kt above 4km AGL,
shear will support updraft rotation.  Resulting, all-hazards severe
risk will therefore likely continue through midnight, spreading
gradually eastward with time, toward eastern portions of the watch.

..Goss.. 05/09/2024

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

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

LAT...LON   36329120 36819087 37438989 37928945 37868884 37028704
            36548743 36329120

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 8, 7:29 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baxter, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead and 32 more	61 min
May 8, 7:59 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Madison and 4 more	2 hr
May 8, 8:13 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	Arkansas, Baxter, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Conway and 38 more	7 hr
May 8, 9:30 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Columbia, Lafayette, Little River, Miller	2 hr
May 8, 11:51 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Faulkner and 13 more	114 min
May 9, 3:26 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Arkansas, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia and 16 more	3 hr
May 9, 3:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas and 10 more	7 hr
May 9, 6:24 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Ashley, Chicot, Desha, Drew	96 min
May 9, 3:06 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Boone, Boyd, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin and 10 more	84 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Kentucky, 2024 Mesoscale Discussions in Illinois, 2024 Mesoscale Discussions in Missouri, 2024 Every mesoscale discussion in 2024

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.