SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 184

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 184
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   100 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2012
   
   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
   
          WESTERN LOUISIANA
          SOUTHEAST TEXAS
          COASTAL WATERS
   
   EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 100 PM UNTIL 800
   PM CDT.
   
   HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
   MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
   
   THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 65
   STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTH
   NORTHWEST OF BEEVILLE TEXAS TO 40 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF FORT
   POLK LOUISIANA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
   ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).
   
   REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
   FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
   DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.
   
   DISCUSSION...STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THESE AREAS THROUGH
   LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. WHILE MUCH OF PRE-FRONTAL AIRMASS
   IS CURRENTLY CAPPED TO SURFACE-BASED CONVECTION...LATEST OBJECTIVE
   DATA SUGGESTS THAT THIS CAP IS WEAKENING. FURTHER WEAKENING APPEARS
   LIKELY AS FRONT SURGES INTO THE REGION AND AIDS IN LIFTING A
   WARM/MOIST AIRMASS WHERE MLCAPE VALUES RANGE FROM ABOUT 500 J/KG IN
   THE ERN PORTIONS OF THE WATCH...TO OVER 2000 J/KG ACROSS PARTS OF
   SCNTRL TX. RESULTING TSTM DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE INCREASINGLY
   VIGOROUS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN STEEP LAPSE RATES AND
   SUPPORTIVE LARGE SCALE ASCENT...MULTICELL STORM COVERAGE...BECOMING
   MARGINALLY ORGANIZED ALONG OR IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT SHOULD
   CONTRIBUTE TO AN UPTICK IN LARGE HAIL AND SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND
   EVENTS.
   
   AVIATION...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 29025.