Tornado Watch 298 Until Midnight

PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   0643 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008
  
   …SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM THE ARKLATEX AND MID SOUTH REGION EASTWARD ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES TODAY AND TONIGHT…
  
   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK IS FORECASTING THE
   DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW STRONG TORNADOES…WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WIND AND VERY LARGE HAIL FROM THE ARKLATEX AND MID SOUTH REGION EASTWARD ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES TODAY AND TONIGHT.
  
   THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THIS ACTIVITY INCLUDE
  
          CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ALABAMA
          MUCH OF ARKANSAS
          MUCH OF GEORGIA
          FAR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
          FAR WESTERN KENTUCKY
          NORTHERN LOUISIANA
          SOUTHERN MISSOURI
          CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI
          FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA
          WESTERN AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE
          FAR EASTERN TEXAS
  
   A STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS
   STATES THIS AFTERNOON…EMERGING INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
   BY LATE TODAY AND CONTINUING ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION AND GULF COAST STATES OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS IS ALREADY IN PLACE FROM TEXAS EASTWARD ALONG THE GULF COAST…AND THIS UNSTABLE AIR WILL EXPAND NORTHWARD WITH TIME AS LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS ACROSS THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. WHILE
TORNADOES…DAMAGING WIND AND VERY LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE
ANYWHERE WITHIN THE MODERATE RISK AREA…THE GREATEST THREAT FOR
STRONG TORNADOES WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARKANSAS…NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND WESTERN TENNESSEE.
   IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF A FEW TORNADOES…WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS MISSISSIPPI…ALABAMA…AND GEORGIA.
  
   THOSE IN THE THREATENED AREA ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER
   SAFETY RULES AND TO LISTEN TO RADIO…TELEVISION…AND NOAA WEATHER
   RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES…WARNINGS…AND STATEMENTS LATER TODAY.

**MODERATE RISK** of Severe Weather Across All of W. TN

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
WEST TENNESSEE WEATHER ONLINE JACKSON TN
6:00 AM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008

…A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS LIKELY ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT…

* WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED AND TIMING

DAMAGING WINDS…LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STRONG TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THE BEST TIME FRAME FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN WEST TENNESSEE WILL BE FROM 5 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH 4 AM SUNDAY MORNING.

* AREAS AFFECTED

A **MODERATE** RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS FOR ALL OF WEST TENNESSEE.

* DISCUSSION
  
LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TODAY AND MOVE
INTO THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TONIGHT…WHILE A WARM FRONT WILL
SURGE NORTH INTO THE MID SOUTH. THIS WILL BRING A WARM…MOIST…AND
UNSTABLE AIRMASS INTO THE REGION AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT
APPROACHING FROM THE WEST.

* ACTION STATEMENT

AREA RESIDENTS SHOULD BEGIN TO CLOSELY MONITOR WEATHER FORECASTS THROUGH THE NOAA WEATHER RADIO…MEDIA OUTLETS AND WEB SITES.  REVIEW SAFETY RULES AND MAKE SURE FRESH BATTERIES ARE PROVIDED FOR RADIOS AND FLASHLIGHTS. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE POSTED AS NECESSARY.

WTWO/NWS/SPC