Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, January 29, 2013

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
244 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013

.DISCUSSION...

TOR WATCHES ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHERN AND
WESTERN AR...WHILE CONVECTION HAS BEEN LIGHT OVER CENTRAL
AREAS...WHILE A BIT MORE IN THE LAST HOUR OR TWO OVER WESTERN
AREAS. EARLIER DID SEE SOME SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS OVER OK AND
MO...BUT AT THIS TIME...OVERCAST CLOUDS HAVE HELD INSTABILITY AT
LOWER LEVELS. THE COLD FRONT WAS CURRENTLY OVER CENTRAL MO...SW TO
EASTERN OK...SW TO N TX. PLENTY OF MOISTURE WAS STREAMING INTO AR
WITH SURFACE DEW POINT TEMPS IN THE 60S...WHILE SOUNDING PRECIP
WATER VALUES WERE OVER ONE INCH. WIND PROFILES DO SHOW PLENTY OF
WIND ENERGY WITH A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET OF 30-50 KNOTS...WHILE
SOME VEERING IN THE PROFILE...HENCE SOME RISK OF ISOLATED
TORNADOES TODAY.

THE TIMING OF COLD FRONT REMAINS VERY CLOSE TO EARLIER FORECAST
PROGRESSION...THIS AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN OK TO NEAR NW AR TO MO.
THEN FAR WEST AR BY 2 TO 4 PM. AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES THE
MAIN LINE OF STORMS WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST AND REACH THE LITTLE
ROCK AREA AROUND 00Z TO 02Z (6 PM TO 9 PM CST)...THEN EASTERN AR
9 PM TO AROUND MID NIGHT. SOME STORMS WILL BE SEEN WELL AHEAD OF
THE FRONT...AND DUE TO LOADED ATMOSPHERE...COULD BECOME STRONG TO
SEVERE...THOUGH INSTABILITY IS LACKING. STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS
WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH THE ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT. A SQUALL
LINE IS EXPECTED ALONG AND A BIT AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. AREAS
OF HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG SURFACE WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...WITH
LAKE WIND AND WIND ADVISORIES IN EFFECT.

&&

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT

AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND WITH THE FRONT...PRECIP CHANCES WILL BE HIGH
THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WEST...THEN THIS EVENING IN CENTRAL
AREAS...WHILE LATER THIS EVENING TO EARLY OVERNIGHT OVER EASTERN
AREAS. DO HAVE MENTION OF SEVERE STORMS OVER ALL OF CWA DUE TO
EXPECTED STRONG CONVECTION. INSTABILITY REMAINS A KEY FACTOR...AS
WELL AS POSSIBLE TOO STRONG OF THE LOW LEVEL JET WHICH COULD SHEER
STORMS BEFORE THEY GET THE HEIGHT NEEDED FOR VERY STRONG AND LONG
LIVED CONVECTION. SPIN UP MESOS WILL BE SEEN...BUT DEPTH MAY BE
HELD AT BAY. CONVECTION WILL BE PUSHING EAST WEDNESDAY MORNING BUT
SHOULD SEE SOME WRAP AROUND AND STATUS OVER NORTHERN AR ON
WEDNESDAY BEFORE IT ALL PUSHES EAST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TO
EVENING. THEN DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS AND A BIT COOLER TEMPS
INITIALLY...THEN A WARM UP THROUGH LATE WEEK. A WEAK AND MOSTLY DRY
FRONT LATE THURSDAY TO FRIDAY...WITH VERY LIMITED MOISTURE. MAINLY
CLOUDS A COOLER TEMPS WITH A NW TO NW SURFACE FLOW.

&&

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NORTHWEST FLOW WILL BRING A WEAK COLD FRONT INTO THE STATE SATURDAY.
MOISTURE WILL BE LACKING DUE TO THE NORTHWEST FLOW...AND KEPT ONLY
SLIGHT CHANCES OF RAIN IN THE FORECAST.

HIGH PRESSURE WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH DRY CONDITIONS FOR
SUNDAY. HOWEVER...SUBTROPICAL JET WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN
PLAINS AND HELP BRING MOISTURE BACK TO THE STATE. RAIN CHANCES WILL
BE BACK IN THE FORECAST FOR MONDAY...AS THE NEXT FRONT MOVES INTO
THE REGION.

COOL HIGH PRESSURE WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THE FRONT TUESDAY...BUT
TEMPERATURES WILL STILL BE NEAR NORMAL.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
BATESVILLE AR     46  52  28  54 / 100  20   0  10
CAMDEN AR         47  57  32  61 / 100  10   0   0
HARRISON AR       36  44  26  53 /  70  20   0  10
HOT SPRINGS AR    45  54  31  59 / 100  10   0   0
LITTLE ROCK   AR  47  54  31  58 / 100  10   0   0
MONTICELLO AR     50  57  33  59 / 100  10   0   0
MOUNT IDA AR      43  53  29  59 /  90  10   0   0
MOUNTAIN HOME AR  39  48  26  53 /  90  20   0  10
NEWPORT AR        48  53  29  54 / 100  20   0  10
PINE BLUFF AR     49  55  32  58 / 100  10   0   0
RUSSELLVILLE AR   43  52  28  58 /  90  20   0  10
SEARCY AR         45  51  28  55 / 100  20   0  10
STUTTGART AR      48  53  30  56 / 100  10   0   0
&&

.LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR ARKANSAS-DESHA-DREW-
INDEPENDENCE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-LINCOLN-LONOKE-MONROE-PRAIRIE-
SHARP-WHITE-WOODRUFF.

LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR BAXTER-BOONE-
BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-CONWAY-DALLAS-FAULKNER-
FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-IZARD-JOHNSON-LOGAN-MARION-
MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-PULASKI-SALINE-
SCOTT-SEARCY-STONE-VAN BUREN-YELL.

&&

SHORT TERM...59 / LONG TERM...58

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
500 AM CST TUE JAN 29 2013

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-301100-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-
500 AM CST TUE JAN 29 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE
MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY. THE SYSTEM WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT
TOWARD ARKANSAS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE
STATE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES...THE FRONT WILL SURGE INTO THE
REGION...WITH A LINE OF STORMS EVOLVING. THE LINE WILL SWEEP FROM
WEST TO EAST...AND WILL MAKE IT TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DURING THE
PREDAWN HOURS WEDNESDAY.

THERE IS A LOT OF WIND ENERGY SURROUNDING THE FRONT...AND STORMS
WILL TEND TO MOVE QUICKLY AT MORE THAN 50 MPH. THIS WILL INCREASE
THE CHANCES FOR DAMAGING WINDS...WITH GUSTS EXPECTED TO REACH 60 TO
80 MPH IN SOME CASES. THIS IS ENOUGH TO DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES.
TREES ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE NOW FOLLOWING A WIDESPREAD DROUGHT
AND HEAVY SNOW DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORMS COULD CERTAINLY PRODUCE WIND DAMAGE...IT IS
ALONG THE LINE OF STORMS WHERE WIND DAMAGE SHOULD BE MOST
CONCENTRATED.

WINDS WILL ALSO TURN SOMEWHAT WITH HEIGHT...AND THIS COULD LEAD TO
ISOLATED TORNADOES. ANY TORNADOES WOULD BE MOST LIKELY IN STORMS
AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE...OR WHERE THERE IS NO COMPETITION FOR
AVAILABLE ENERGY.

THE ONLY INHIBITING FACTOR IS INSTABILITY. THE BIG SYSTEM ALOFT
DRIVING THIS EVENT WILL LAG A BIT TO THE WEST. THE SYSTEM WILL BE
SURROUNDED BY COOLER AIR OVERHEAD...AND THAT WILL BE DELAYED. WHILE
IT WILL BE PLENTY WARM AND UNSTABLE TOWARD THE GROUND...A LACK OF
COOLING UPSTAIRS WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE MARGINALLY UNSTABLE...AND
THIS COULD HELP REDUCE INSTANCES OF SEVERE WEATHER.

OTHER THAN SEVERE WEATHER...THERE IS ALSO A CONCERN FOR HEAVY RAIN.
MOISTURE LEVELS WILL BE IMPRESSIVE...AND TWO TO THREE TIMES HIGHER
THAN NORMAL. THIS WILL MAKE THUNDERSTORMS EFFICIENT RAINMAKERS. IN
GENERAL...RAINFALL SHOULD AVERAGE A HALF INCH TO AN INCH AND A HALF.
HOWEVER...TWO TO FOUR INCH AMOUNTS COULD MATERIALIZE IN PARTS OF
THE NORTH AND WEST WHERE DEVELOPMENT OCCURS AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE.
THIS COULD RESULT IN LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.

GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 15
TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS TO 35 MPH. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE
TONIGHT...WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST BEHIND THE
FRONT. WIND AND LAKE WIND ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN POSTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE BEHIND A COLD FRONT ON WEDNESDAY.
WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS AT 20 TO 30 MPH WILL BE COMMON...WITH SOME
GUSTS OVER 40 MPH. WIND AND LAKE WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

&&

VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND
CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

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