Tornado Watch Issued to Our Northwest

The SPC has now issued a Tornado Watch for portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana until 9 PM this evening. This is where the best dynamics are for the threat of severe weather today. This aligns with the moderate risk that was issued in these areas and is the most likely place that tornadoes will develop. Damaging straight-line winds continue to be the main threat with this storm system today and heading into the overnight hours.

This latest watch comes right up to the Alabama/Mississippi State line. We are still a few hours away from thunderstorms impacting Alabama.

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS
EXTREME SOUTHWEST INDIANA
WESTERN KENTUCKY
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI
WESTERN AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE

* EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 225 PM UNTIL
900 PM CST.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…
SEVERAL TORNADOES POSSIBLE
SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 75 MPH POSSIBLE
A FEW LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE

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.

DISCUSSION…STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NEWD FROM AR TOWARD WRN
TN/KY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON/EVENING…WITH CONSOLIDATION INTO A
LARGER SQUALL LINE EXPECTED BY EARLY TONIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT
OVERTAKES THE PRE-FRONTAL CONVECTION. THE COMBINATION OF
BUOYANCY/MOISTURE AND VERTICAL SHEAR WILL SUPPORT THE RISK FOR A FEW
TORNADOES WITH ANY MORE DISCRETE INITIAL CELLS OR LATER EMBEDDED
CIRCULATIONS…THOUGH THE PRIMARY RISK WILL BECOME DAMAGING WINDS
THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT.

Category: Alabama's Weather, Severe Weather