Tornado Threat Forecast: Apr 5-11, 2012

1-3 DAY


Forecast FAQ

Thursday

Southeast — POTENTIAL: Low — CONFIDENCE: Normal
Low to moderate instability and good upper-level dynamics provide a low tornado threat in the Southeast today and tonight. Mostly unidirectional shear and extensive cloud cover will limit the tornado potential. One area to watch will be South Carolina, where storms forming along a stationary boundary will get some extra low-level directional shear to help support rotating storms.

Friday

Southern Florida — POTENTIAL: Very Low — CONFIDENCE: High
Enough instability and wind speed shear will be present that, if storms can form off of a mesoscale feature that increases the directional shear, they could potentially produce a tornado. Otherwise, the flow will be very unidirectional, keeping the threat to a minimum.

Saturday

Southern Plains — POTENTIAL: Very Low — CONFIDENCE: High
Storms forming along and ahead of a cold front will have low to moderate CAPE and directional wind shear to provide the potential for tornadoes, however weak to moderate wind speed shear, high LCLs and a lack of upper-level support will inhibit tornado formation.

4-7 DAY


Sunday

No tornadic activity expected.

Monday

Southern Plains — POTENTIAL: Low — CONFIDENCE: Normal
Low to moderate instability and fairly good directional wind shear will give storms rotation, but weak wind speed shear in the low to mid levels and a lack of upper-level forcing will limit the tornado potential.

Tuesday

Southern High Plains — POTENTIAL: Very Low — CONFIDENCE: Normal
Moderate directional shear and CAPE on the order of 500-1000 J/kg could produce a tornado in the southern High Plains, but the low amount of instability and a lack of upper-level forcing will keep the threat to a bare minimum.

Wednesday

Southern and central High Plains — POTENTIAL: Medium — CONFIDENCE: Low
A disturbance will work into the Plains on Wednesday, with storms expected to fire along and ahead of a cold front late in the day into the overnight hours. Timing and a lack of instability will work against tornadic storm formation, but moderate to high shear will be able to make storms rotate fairly easily if enough instability is present. Storms that form north and east of the risk area are expected to be elevated, posing no tornado threat.

The following two tabs change content below.
Operational Meteorologist at WeatherBug (Earth Networks). See full bio.

Latest posts by Mark Ellinwood (see all)

Mark Ellinwood

Operational Meteorologist at WeatherBug (Earth Networks). See full bio.

Share
Published by
Mark Ellinwood

Recent Posts

Girls Who Chase: Empowering Female Storm Chasers

In a field historically dominated by men, Jen Walton has emerged as a transformative figure…

5 months ago

The Storm Doctor: Dr. Jason Persoff

Jason Persoff, MD, SFHM, is recognized globally for his expertise in storm chasing. He earned…

10 months ago

Top tornado videos of 2023

Tornado numbers were near or above average. A chase season peak in June provided numerous…

12 months ago

March 31, 2023 tornado outbreak videos

One of the more widespread tornado outbreaks in years, from Iowa and Illinois to Arkansas.

2 years ago

Spring 2023 seasonal tornado outlook

The active start of the year could be a sign, but a mid-March pattern change…

2 years ago

Top tornado videos of 2022

A near average year for tornadoes across the country, with a cool season bend. We've…

2 years ago