rare PDS tornado watch
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 190
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1110 AM CDT SUN APR 26 2009
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS
PARTS OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN OKLAHOMA
PARTS OF EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1110 AM UNTIL 700
PM CDT.
..THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
DISCUSSION...STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR COUPLED WITH A VERY UNSTABLE
AIR MASS WILL RESULT IN SUPERCELLS DEVELOPING ALONG AND E OF FRONTAL
ZONE THAT EXTENDS FROM NCENTRAL KS TO TX PANHANDLE. STORMS WILL
INCREASE RAPIDLY IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY THRU THE AFTERNOON AS WARM
SECTOR CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE WITH TORNADIC SUPERCELLS BECOMING
MOST LIKELY DURING LATER PORTIONS OF WATCH PERIOD. POTENTIAL FOR
LONG LIVED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ACCOMPANIED BY VERY LARGE HAIL.
Since when are spring tornados on the plains rare?
This is a rather rare event, as I heard today on The Weather Channel. They had a part of the map marked in white, not just the ususal orange and red areas, but white which symbolizes even higher risk for very severe weather. I was in a tornado hit area when I was about 10. It took our whole farm, thankfully no persons were killed, only livestock. Believe me, you never forget an experience like that. We were in the old basement, and hunkered down there until it was quiet. When we looked outside all our barns were flat as pancakes. It took months to clean it up. I never ignore signs of bad weather. We get frequent tornadoes here in WI, but not nearly as many as elsewhere. Seeing that white area on the weather map today alarmed me, it was as far as I can remember the first time I saw that elevated level of risk. The meterologist remarked how rare it was to use that high amount of risk on a weather prediction map.
We had a very rare high risk area over us a couple of weeks ago. (far north GA) Needless to say, I did not relish the thought. I moved here from Oklahoma, and have had enough already to last me. But, these little mountains weakened and broke it up for us. Thanks to God for building them.