SPC AC 021259
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0659 AM CST FRI MAR 02 2012
VALID 021300Z - 031200Z
...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING FOR
EXTREME SRN INDIANA...CENTRAL KY... AND NRN MIDDLE TN...
...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS SURROUNDING THE HIGH RISK...FOR
MUCH OF THE OH/TN VALLEYS...
...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE LOWER MS VALLEY TO THE
UPPER OH VALLEY AND APPALACHIANS...
--SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON INTO
TONIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE OH/TN VALLEY REGION...INCLUDING THE
POTENTIAL FOR LONG-TRACK/STRONG TORNADOES--
...SYNOPSIS...
A 130 KT JET STREAK ALOFT NOW OVERSPREADING NW OK PER PROFILER PLOTS
WILL CONTINUE NEWD TO MO/IL/INDIANA BY THIS EVENING. A COUPLING OF
LOW-LEVEL WAA/DECREASING STATIC STABILITY AND DIVERGENCE IN THE LEFT
EXIT REGION OF THE MID-UPPER JET STREAK WILL PROMOTE DEEPENING OF A
SURFACE CYCLONE WHICH WILL MOVE NEWD FROM MO TO CENTRAL IL BY
MIDDAY...AND SRN LOWER MI BY THIS EVENING. A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE
QUICKLY NWD TODAY IN ADVANCE OF THE CYCLONE...AND A TRAILING COLD
FRONT WILL SWEEP EWD ACROSS THE MID MS AND OH VALLEY REGION. A
RESERVOIR OF L0W-MID 60S BOUNDARY LAYER DEWPOINTS NEAR AND S OF I-40
WILL SURGE NEWD INTO THE OH VALLEY BY MID-LATE AFTERNOON...WHICH
WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SUBSTANTIAL NEWD EXPANSION OF THE UNSTABLE WARM
SECTOR IN THE WAKE OF MORNING ELEVATED CONVECTION IN THE WARM
ADVECTION REGIME.
...TN/OH VALLEY REGION TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING...
THE INITIAL ELEVATED SEVERE STORMS NEAR STL /JUST AHEAD OF THE
SURFACE CYCLONE/ WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ENEWD OVER CENTRAL
IL/INDIANA WITH AN ACCOMPANYING RISK FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
GUSTS. THE MORE SERIOUS SEVERE STORM/TORNADO RISK WILL BEGIN TO
MATERIALIZE IMMEDIATELY E OF THE MS RIVER BY MIDDAY. A BROKEN BAND
OF STORMS WILL LIKELY FORM ALONG THE COLD FRONT BY EARLY
AFTERNOON...WITH ADDITIONAL STORM DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED FARTHER E IN
THE UNSTABLE/WEAKLY CAPPED WARM SECTOR. AS SURFACE TEMPERATURES
WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S TO MID 70S AND MOISTURE LIKEWISE
INCREASES...MLCAPE WILL INCREASE TO 1500-2000 J/KG AS FAR NE AS NRN
KY BY LATE AFTERNOON. THE DESTABILIZATION WILL BE COINCIDENT WITH
AN INCREASE IN DEEP-LAYER FLOW/VERTICAL SHEAR...WITH EFFECTIVE BULK
SHEAR NEAR 70 KT AND EFFECTIVE SRH OF 300-400 M2/S2.
THE VERY STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR...MODERATE INSTABILITY...A MOIST
LOW-LEVEL ENVIRONMENT...AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF A FEW DISCRETE WARM
SECTOR SUPERCELLS / AND SUPERCELLS WITHIN THE LINE ALONG THE
FRONT/...ALL APPEAR SUPPORTIVE OF A POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT TORNADO
EPISODE WITH A FEW LONG-TRACK/STRONG TORNADOES. THE MOST PROBABLE
AREA FOR DAMAGING TORNADOES WILL BE SE OF THE SURFACE LOW TRACK IN
THE MORE ESTABLISHED WARM SECTOR...OR NEAR AND S OF THE OH RIVER
FROM EXTREME SRN INDIANA INTO CENTRAL KY/NRN MIDDLE TN. BOTH
PRE-FRONTAL AND FRONTAL SUPERCELLS ARE MOST PROBABLE IN THE HIGH
RISK AREA...AND SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD SPREAD AS FAR NE AS SW OH
AND WRN WV BEFORE EXITING THE WARM SECTOR THIS EVENING.
OTHERWISE...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED WITH
THE PRE-FRONTAL AND FRONTAL STORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING.
...MS/AL/GA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...
THE MOIST/UNSTABLE WARM SECTOR IS ALREADY ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE
GULF COAST STATES THIS MORNING. THIS AREA WILL REMAIN A LITTLE S OF
THE STRONGEST DEEP-LAYER FLOW...AND THE STRONGEST LLJ CORE WILL
DEVELOP NEWD TO THE OH VALLEY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UPPER JET
STREAK AND SURFACE CYCLONE. STILL...INSTABILITY AND VERTICAL SHEAR
WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS WITHIN IN ONE OR MORE BANDS OF
CONVECTION ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT BEGINNING LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING INTO TONIGHT. RISKS WILL INCLUDE A FEW
TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL THROUGH TONIGHT.
..THOMPSON/LEITMAN.. 03/02/2012
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NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1630Z
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Page last modified: April 3, 2012