Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch 296 (AR/MS)

National Weather Service ^ | May 10, 2008 | Storm Prediction Service

[HAL9000]

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 296
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
335 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 335 PM UNTIL 1000 PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER... THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF TEXARKANA ARKANSAS TO 35 MILES NORTH OF GREENWOOD MISSISSIPPI. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

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 292. WATCH NUMBER 292 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 335 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 293...WW 294...WW 295...

DISCUSSION...POTENTIALLY VOLATILE SITUATION MAY BE UNFOLDING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN AR...EWD TO NWRN/CNTRL MS THROUGH THIS EVENING AS LARGE DEEP-LAYER CYCLONE CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY ACROSS KS/MO AND ASCENT STRENGTHENS ACROSS VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS. WARM FRONT NOW BISECTING AR NW-SE HAS BEEN REINFORCED BY DAYLONG STRONG TO SEVERE ELEVATED CONVECTION ACROSS THE OZARK PLATEAU. AS STRONGER FORCING NOW EMERGES WITH THE ADVANCING UPPER TROUGH...RESIDUAL WEAK INHIBITION SHOULD BE REMOVED AND ALLOW FOR SURFACE-BASED STORM DEVELOPMENT. STORMS/SUPERCELLS DEVELOPING IN UNPERTURBED AIR MASS ACROSS ERN/SERN OK WILL ENCOUNTER MOIST LOW LEVEL ELY/SELY FLOW NEAR THE WARM FRONT/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY ACROSS AR SHORTLY. LOW LEVEL SHEAR ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE WARM SECTOR...WILL SUPPORT LONG-LIVED UPDRAFT ROTATION. A CORRIDOR OF GREATER POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO INTENSE LOW LEVEL STORMS ROTATION MAY EVOLVE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH THE THREAT OF ONE OR TWO LONGER-LIVED STRONG TORNADOES WITHIN THE WATCH AREA.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26030.

...CARBIN

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

CAN ANYONE ACTUALLY READ THIS BULLETIN?

[billorites]

"AS STRONGER FORCING NOW EMERGES WITH THE ADVANCING UPPER TROUGH...RESIDUAL WEAK INHIBITION SHOULD BE REMOVED AND ALLOW FOR SURFACE-BASED STORM DEVELOPMENT."

Ah, reminds me of my wedding night...

[CindyDawg]

Prayers up.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

LOL!

[brytlea]

Ditto
They have had a bad run in that part of the country.
susie

[wequalswinner]

OKEY DOKEY

[TomGuy]

Updates approx every 15 minutes:

[trisham]

bump!

[RegulatorCountry]

We had a go-round with tornadoes and large hail in my part of North Carolina a few nights ago ... two EF2, one EF3, couple of storm cells had hail up to 3” diameter, reportedly. One fatality, three injuries, about ten houses destroyed and scores more damaged. FedEx took a beating, two planes flipped, plus two semis overturned on I-40. The storms kept me up late, past 2 AM, didn’t want to fall asleep with that kind of weather lurking around. No damage in my immediate area, thank goodness.

We should be spared this next round, though. Cool air along the base of the Appalachians should force the low pressure system south and east of us.

[McLynnan]

No, I think it was written by the same people who write assembly instructions for products manufactured in China. But if you read between the lines it sounds ominous.

On a side note I am near Crawford and they have issued a tornado watch here until 9:00 PM tonight. Hope Jenna’s wedding isn’t ruined!

[HAL9000]

Tornado Warning for Black Oak, Ark.

[spectre]

Tornado on the ground just south of Jonesboro..

That's number ONE for tonight..groan.

sw

[TomGuy]

Possible forming tornado in NE OK - Delaware County just north of Colcord, moving toward NW AR - Benton County path includes Decatur/Gravette toward Bentonville/Rogers, moving at around 50 mph.

Another just issues south of the above about 20 miles. [Sirens going off locally in Siloam Springs, AR now.]

Watts, Westville, Oklahoma areas.
Siloam Springs, Arkansas area.

[TomGuy]

CBS Max5 Ft. Smith/Fayetteville reports spotters see tornado on ground in Cherokee City area (extreme West Benton County, Hwy 12, west of Gentry about 8 miles).

[TomGuy]

Supercell with rotation moving toward Bentonville, AR. In Decatur, AR area now.

Another Supercell with rotation moving toward Fayetteville/Springdale, AR area. In Tonitown area now, about 5 miles west of Fayetteville/Springdale.

These 2 cells are only about 5 miles apart.

[HAL9000]

[HAL9000]

[HAL9000]

Live tornado chaser video - tornadovideos.net

[spectre]

It should be in our area in 20 minutes or so.

Surface winds at over 100mph!

sw

[TomGuy]

[janetjanet998]

http://www.stormreports.org/

[janetjanet998]

Multiple large damaging tornadoes on the ground

http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=163958&st=480&gopid=2733409&#entry2733409

hooked supercells heading for little rock and memhis

[TomGuy]

OK-AR radar, updates approx every 15 minutes:

[OSHA]

Adam, my stepson, just called to say they saw a funnel cloud pass his MIL’s house. It was long gone when he called. They were on the front porch facing south. Our house is two miles south of theirs. LOL

Thanks Adam for the heads up! (We live in Cave Springs, West of Lowell AR.)

[janetjanet998]

3 dead in MO

http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?s=&showtopic=163958&view=findpost&p=2733572

[vetvetdoug]

Feb 4th was scary, last Thursday was scary. This looks a lot more ominous heading toward me. The NWS had us to be out of the serious threat area but the cells are heading right straight down the state line. Earle, Arkansas, is right in the target right now.....deja vu all over.

[janetjanet998]

NewsChannel 8 is in Ottawa County, where there are reports major damage and injury near the town of Picher. (OK)

Picher is located about 85 miles northeast of Tulsa. It’s best known for the Tar Creek Superfund site, but today’s tornado may leave a much larger impact.

There are reports that the town was leveled by the tornado, which storm spotters expected to be classified as an EF-3 tornado, capable of producing winds of between 136 and 165 miles per hour and cause extensive damage to even large buildings.

Steve Osburn lives in Ottawa County and says rescue crews from Miami are responding to the area.

“The ambulances here in Miami are running back and forth as fast as they can,” Osburn said. “You can’t see any homes anywhere, no street signs left and trees torn out of the ground.”

NewsChannel 8 Storm Chaser Mike Scantlin also reported multiple injuries and lots of damage after the twister crossed over into the southwestern Missouri town of Racine, which is located 20 miles to the east of Picher.

We will continue to update this story with additional details as they become available.

[janetjanet998]

Currently on SE side of Stuttgart (AR)... can confirm very severe and widespread damage, unfortunately... was rain-wrapped as it went thru as we were 2-3 miles behind it and couldn’t see a thing.

http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?s=&showtopic=163958&view=findpost&p=2733700

[OSHA]

There was a tornado over your house a little while ago. Happy Mother’s Day!

[TXnMA]

A cluster of cells has developed at the SW "tail end" of the line, and is moving SE through NE TX. A couple of cells w/heights to 41Kft are headed toward our location in SE Cass County, TX. Current storm tracks indicate they *may* pass just to the S of us.

After they leave TX, they should pass over Vivian, LA, and then through the Shreveport LA area.

[TXnMA]

See #36. We are barely SW of the point where the AR, LA & TX boundaries join at a single point... Hope, AR is under tornado WARNING...

Thanks for the map! That detached cluster of cells at the SW end on your map is threatening us... (I'm monitoring Weather Underground NEXRAD -- set up with storm tracks displayed, and the GPS coordinates of our place marked on their maps.)