Product Code Database
[[File:Tornado Watch no. 269 (2025).gif|thumb|Tornado Watch issued prior to the [[2025 London tornado]].]]
A tornado watch (SAME code: TOA) is a statement issued by weather forecasting agencies to advise the public that atmospheric conditions in a given region may lead to the development of within (or near) the region over a period of several hours. Tornado Safety Facts – Tornado Safety 101 In addition to the potential for tornadogenesis, thunderstorms that develop within the watch area may contain large hail, downburst, intense rainfall and/or that pose a similar damage risk as the attendant tornado threat.
A watch must not be confused with a tornado warning, and encourages the public to remain vigilant for the onset of severe weather, including possible tornadoes. A tornado watch does not mean a tornado has been observed or will occur, just that favorable conditions increase the likelihood of such storms happening, and may be issued several hours ahead of the formation or arrival of potentially tornadic thunderstorms.
Although the risk of tornadoes is emphasized as the primary hazard, depending on storm cell intensity, the probability exists for other hazardous phenomena exceeding regional severe criterion to occur: severe thunderstorms that develop within the watch area will also pose a likelihood of producing large hailstones, intense straight-line winds that can produce serious structural damage equivalent to a lower-category tornado over a comparatively broader areal swath, intense lightning, torrential rainfall and/or caused by high rainfall accumulations. A tornado watch therefore implies that it is also a severe thunderstorm watch.
When a tornado watch is issued, people within the region of expected tornado threat are advised to review safety precautions in the event they must seek immediate shelter in a basement, storm cellar, safe room or a sturdy above-ground room in the center section of a home or building (such as a bathroom or closet) when a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning is issued for their area. Residents are also advised to monitor conditions ahead of the developing weather situation, and keep abreast of warnings and updated storm information through local broadcast media, weather radio, mobile app alert notifications, SMS notifications and/or Auto dialer. Where present, tornado sirens and local police or fire department dispatch units are also used as an outdoor warning system in the event of a tornado or particularly intense non-tornadic thunderstorm in some tornado-prone regions.
In situations in which the SPC has outlined a “high risk” or high-end “moderate risk” of severe convective storms within and near the watch area, the intensified wording "particularly dangerous situation" (PDS) can be added into the watch product to highlight high forecaster confidence that atmospheric conditions support the development of multiple strong to violent tornadoes (rated EF2–EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale) capable of significant damage, if not total destruction of property and severe injury or death from the intense winds and projectile debris, as well as the possibility of destructive downburst and hail from the parent . (Tornadoes occurring in these situations may develop during the storm's maturation stage under typical low-level mesocyclone tornadogenesis, or by accelerated mesocyclonic maturation generated early in the thunderstorm's development from sufficient wind shear and very high convective available potential energy CAPE values.) PDS tornado watches—which, based on SPC watch issuance averages between 1996 and 2005, account for ~3% of all tornado watches issued per year in the U.S.—usually suggest the likelihood of a major tornado outbreak, although they can be issued if a significant threat exists of isolated intense tornadoes. The SPC (then the National Severe Storms Forecast Center) conceived the PDS verbiage for use in tornado watches in 1981; it was applied to a public tornado watch product for the first time—encompassing portions of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma—during the outbreak of April 2, 1982. (The indicated threat would be verified, with seven of the 14 significant (F3+) tornadoes observed that day—four rated F3, two rated F4 and one rated F5—occurring within the watch area.) In subsequent years but in earnest since 2011, the SPC and the National Weather Service have applied PDS verbiage to other watch and warning types (including tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, flash flood warnings and red flag warnings) to emphasize an exceptionally high risk to life and property.
SPC meteorologists utilize WarnGen software integrated into the National Centers Advance Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) and/or the SPC Product Generator (PRODGEN) to generate the watch statement, which is disseminated through various communication routes accessed by the media and various agencies, on the internet, to NOAA satellites, and over NOAA Weather Radio. The term "red box," often used in parlance within the meteorological community, refers to the coloring assigned to tornado watch boxes for hazard maps used by the Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service; First Warning used by many local television stations typically assign other colors (most commonly, green, yellow or purple) to highlight tornado watches. (Red, which television alert displays usually reserve as an identifier for tornado warnings, is seldom if ever used to highlight tornado watches.)
The Storm Prediction Center, in conjunction with local NWS Weather Forecast Offices, issues component watch products to communicate the approximate area, primary hazards and other pertinent information about the tornado watch to the public, NOAA meteorologists, emergency management and aviation personnel. The graphical and text Public Watch products—in addition to outlining the approximate affected area, valid time, meteorological and aviation discussions, and other pertinent information—includes language specifying the forecast tornado threat (e.g., "several tornadoes and a few intense tornadoes likely"), and attendant severe wind and hail threats (e.g., "widespread damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely, isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible") in the primary hazards list. The Watch Probability Table describes probabilities for all modes of severe weather, including probabilities of two or more tornadoes and one or more strong to violent tornadoes. (Currently, the minimum tornado probabilities for a tornado watch issuance require a ~30% chance of two or more tornado reports and, for PDS watches, an 80% chance of one or more strong tornadoes within the watch area over the valid time period, although that criterion was previously lower.)
The SPC produces two separate products listing all counties or equivalent subdivisions (parishes, independent city, and coastal marine zones) included in the broader watch area: Watch County Lists (WCL), which are produced internally preceding the watch issuance for collaborative use with local NWS offices to outline counties and equivalent subdivisions being proposed for inclusion in the watch, and Watch Outline Update (WOU) messages, a public list of the determined watch subdivisions published upon the initial tornado watch issuance. Local NWS offices concurrently issue Watch County Notification (WCN) messages that list subdivisions within their designated area of responsibility that the office has considered to be in the initial watch; WCN messages—which the SPC uses as the basis for their Watch Outline Update product—are updated to denote changes to the watch by local WFOs, which are provided responsibility for adding or removing counties/subdivisions from the watch, extending its time of expiration, or cancelling the watch entirely if conditions no longer support a severe weather threat (if atmospheric conditions have become less conducive to form tornadoes or were insufficient for tornadic development compared to earlier forecast analysis). The SPC updates Watch Outline Updates at least on an hourly basis to incorporate changes made by the accordant WFOs in their Watch County Notification messages.
The SPC issues Watch Status Messages to designate areas considered to have a continuing severe weather threat, based primarily on the position of surface features (such as and )—and the NWS offices decide what counties to remove from the watch (the local offices will almost always follow the SPC recommendation on the status messages). If conditions are no longer favorable for tornadoes in the watch area, a tornado watch may either be replaced by a severe thunderstorm watch or cancelled outright; likewise, a tornado watch may replace a severe thunderstorm watch, if not merely a section of it, should conditions that were originally forecast to be conducive for non-tornadic severe thunderstorms evolve to allow an increased possibility of tornado formation. If no convective development or tornadic activity occurs, this leads to a tornado watch "bust", which can factor into determinations by the SPC and National Weather Service offices on whether to cancel the watch.
Because the Storm Prediction Center and local National Weather Service WFOs each have roles in the watch issuance process, the subdivisions listed in the Watch Outline Update and Watch County Notification products will sometimes differ from the outlined watch box area, including subdivisions located outside the outlined quadrilateral; however the local Weather Forecast Office is tasked with determining which counties should be included in or, in lieu of a new downstream watch, added to the designated watch area. The WFOs monitoring their sector of the watch area can also consult, via conference call, with the Storm Prediction Center to relay and determine locally dictated changes to the tornado watch, regarding replacement of the watch and extensions of time and areal coverage if conditions warrant.
SEL9
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 269 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 715 PM EDT Fri May 16 2025
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of Far Eastern Indiana Central and Eastern Kentucky Western and Central Ohio Western West Virginia
* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 715 PM until 300 AM EDT.
* Primary threats include... Several tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes likely Widespread damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 80 mph likely Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 3 inches in diameter likely
SUMMARY...Multiple intense supercells will likely persist this evening and into the early overnight hours as they move eastward in a very favorable environment. Strong tornadoes appear likely with any sustained/mature supercells, along with very large hail up to 2-3 inches in diameter. Widespread damaging winds also appear likely with one or more clusters that are forecast to develop later this evening. Peak gusts may reach 70-80 mph.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 85 statute miles east and west of a line from 25 miles north northwest of Columbus OH to 45 miles southwest of London KY. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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...CONTINUE...WW 262...WW 263...WW 264...WW 265...WW 266...WW 267...WW 268...
AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 70 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 600. Mean storm motion vector 26040.
...Gleason
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 559 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1100 PM CST FRI DEC 10 2021
TORNADO WATCH 559 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
ILC003-027-047-051-055-059-065-069-077-081-087-121-127-145-151- 153-165-181-185-189-191-193-199-111100- /O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0559.211211T0500Z-211211T1100Z/
IL . ILLINOIS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ALEXANDER CLINTON EDWARDS FAYETTE FRANKLIN GALLATIN HAMILTON HARDIN JACKSON JEFFERSON JOHNSON MARION MASSAC PERRY POPE PULASKI SALINE UNION WABASH WASHINGTON WAYNE WHITE WILLIAMSON
INC051-125-129-147-163-173-111100- /O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0559.211211T0500Z-211211T1100Z/
IN . INDIANA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
GIBSON PIKE POSEY SPENCER VANDERBURGH WARRICK
KYC007-033-035-039-047-055-059-075-083-101-105-107-139-143-145- 149-157-177-219-221-225-233-111100- /O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0559.211211T0500Z-211211T1100Z/
KY . KENTUCKY COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
BALLARD CALDWELL CALLOWAY CARLISLE CHRISTIAN CRITTENDEN DAVIESS FULTON GRAVES HENDERSON HICKMAN HOPKINS LIVINGSTON LYON MARSHALL MCCRACKEN MCLEAN MUHLENBERG TODD TRIGG UNION WEBSTER
MOC017-031-133-157-201-111100- /O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0559.211211T0500Z-211211T1100Z/
MO . MISSOURI COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
BOLLINGER CAPE GIRARDEAU MISSISSIPPI PERRY SCOTT
ATTN...WFO...PAH...LSX...
STATUS REPORT #1 ON WW 68
VALID 261425Z - 261540Z
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT CONTINUES RIGHT OF A LINE FROM 20 ESE PNS
TO 30 N DHN TO 15 E ATL.
..SPC..03/26/09
ATTN...WFO...TAE...FFC...
https://tornado-watch.com Tornado Watch
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