Tornado Watch 277

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 277
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
805 AM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST ALABAMA
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 805 AM UNTIL
200 PM 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 85 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
MUSCLE SHOALS ALABAMA TO 55 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GREENWOOD
MISSISSIPPI. 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.
DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORM CLUSTER OVER NE MS IS DEVELOPING SUPERCELL
CHARACTERISTICS AS THE LOW LEVELS MOISTENING/DESTABILIZE NEWD FROM
CENTRAL MS INTO NW AL. ADDITIONAL CONVECTION IS ALSO BEGINNING TO
DEVELOP ALONG THE WIND SHIFT NEAR THE MS RIVER. GIVEN THE LOW-LEVEL
DESTABILIZATION AND EXPECTED PERSISTENCE OF 45-55 KT SWLY LOW-LEVEL
FLOW AND RELATIVELY STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR IN ADVANCE OF THE MID
LEVEL TROUGH IN AR...THE THREAT FOR SUPERCELLS AND A COUPLE OF
TORNADOES WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST MIDDAY.
OTHERWISE...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE
STRONGER STORMS.
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 25035.
..THOMPSONWWWW
Tornado watch 277 is in effect until 200 pm cdt for the following locations
Ms .,
Mississippi Counties Included Are:
Alcorn, Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Grenada, Holmes,
Humphreys,
Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee,
Oktibbeha,
Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tallahatchie, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster,
Winston, Yalobusha.