New Tornado Watch West of Alabama

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 257
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1140 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008

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

PARTS OF SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
PARTS OF NORTHERN AND EASTERN LOUISIANA
LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 1140 PM
UNTIL 700 AM CDT.

TORNADOES…HAIL TO 2 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 90 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF COLUMBUS
MISSISSIPPI TO 20 MILES EAST OF ALEXANDRIA LOUISIANA. FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

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 253…TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 254…TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 255. WATCH NUMBER 253 254 255 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER
1140 PM CDT.

DISCUSSION…SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO REDEVELOP AHEAD OF
SLOW MOVING FRONTAL ZONE ERN AR INTO ERN TX. STRONG UPSTREAM TROUGH
AND DIVERGENT UPPER JET WILL ENHANCE BOTH MID LEVEL SHEAR AND LARGE
SCALE ASCENT REMAINDER OF NIGHT. WITH A VERY MOIST AND MDTLY
UNSTABLE SLY FLOW CONTINUING ACROSS WATCH AREA…POTENTIAL FOR
TORNADIC SUPERCELLS WILL PERSIST AS THE TREND IS FOR SLOW
DEVELOPMENT EWD THRU THE NIGHT.

AVIATION…TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.

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