Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Charleston, WV

July 19, 1986Randolph County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 19, 1986, 6:05 PM EDT for Randolph County, West Virginia. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 19, 1986, 6:05 PM EDT (22:05 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 1986, 7:05 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

County Randolph County, WV

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 183 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 1986-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 523 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 1986-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 91 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
523 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1031 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KEKN 192205
SVREKN
WVC083-192305-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE ELKINS WV
605 PM EDT SAT JUL 19 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 705PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF 

NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...RANDOLPH.

WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER NORTHERN
RANDOLPH COUNTY NEAR MONTROSE.

IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED pAREA GET TO A REINFORCED SHELTER AND PREPARE
FOR DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH..LARGE HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER
IN DIAMETER..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 19, 1:20 PM EDT, 4 hours 45 minutes before
^CRWSPSEKN

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - ELKINS, WV
120 PM EDT SAT JUL 19 1986

WEATHER RADAR AT 115 PM EDT SHOWED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
INTO GARRETT COUNTY OF WESTERN MARYALND. ONE STORM WAS MOVING TOWARD
FRIENDSVILLE AND ANOTHER WAS OVER GRANTSVILLE IN NORTHERN GARRETT
COUNTY.

THESE STORMS ARE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF VERY STRONG TO INTENSE
THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTEND NORTH TO NEAR LATROBE PENNSYLVANIA. THEY
WILL AFFECT THE COUNTIES OF GARRETT AND ALLEGANY OF WESTERN MARYLAND
DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH.
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE
HAIL WILL ACCOMPANY THE PASSAGE OF THE THUNDERS.TORMS.

STAY ALERT AND IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER. LISTEN
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END

GILKERSON
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 2:00 PM EDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before
^CRWSPSEKN

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - ELKINS, WV
200 PM EDT SAT JUL 19 1986

  ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER WESTERN MARYLAND AND THE
POTOMAC HIGHLANDS OF WEST VIRGINIA...

WEATHER RADAR AT 155 PM EDT SHOWED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
NORTHERN AND EASTERN GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND AND OVER SOUTHWEST
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA.

THESE STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL CONTAIN STRONG
GUSTY WINDS..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. PEOPLE
IN GARRETT AND ALLEGANY CODUNTIES OF WESTERN MARYLAND AND THE POTOMAC
HIGHLAND COUNTIES OF HAMPSHIRE..HARDY AND MINERAL IN WEST VIRGINIA
SHOULD BE ALERT TO THREATENING WEATHER AND TAIKE SHELTER IF A
THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES OR WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST FOR
FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.

END

GILKERSON
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 2:57 PM EDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
^CRWSPSEKN

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - ELKINS, WV
257 PM EDT SAT JUL 19 1986

  ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER THE POTOMAC HIGHLANDS OF WEST
VIRGINIA...

AT 255 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER HAMPSHIRE
AND NORTHERN HARDY COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS
BETWEEN AUGUSTA AND CAPON BRIDGE IN HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE
HAIL WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER...DON'T BE CAUGHT
OUTSIDE IN A THUNDERSTORM.

CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST FOR
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END

GILKERSON
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 3:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
^CRWSPSEKN

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - ELKINS, WV
330 PM EDT SAT JUL 19 1986

WEATHER RADAR AT 325 PM EDT SHOWED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
NORTHERN PRESTON  COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHWEST GARRETT COUNTY
MARYLAND. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL CONTAIN
GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL.
FLOODING TO POOR DRAINAGE AREAS MAY RESULT IN AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN.

ST
AY ALERT AND TAKE SHELTER IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. LISTEN TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCAIL BROADCAST FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 3:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
^CRWSPSEKN

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - ELKINS, WV
350 PM EDT SAT JUL 19 1986

 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS APPROACHING NORTHERN WEST
VIRGINIA AND EXTREME WESTERN MARYLAND...

WEATHER RADAR AT 345 PM EDT SHOWED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAINS MOVING INTO NORTHERN PRESTON AND NORTHERN MONONGALIA COUNTIES
WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHERN GARRETT COUNTY MARYLAND. THESE STORMS ARE
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING..HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL. FLOODING TO SMALL STREAMS AND
CREEKS AS WELL AS POOR DRAINAGE AREAS COULD RESULT IN AREAS OF HEAVY
RAIN.

STAY ALERT AND TAKE SHELTER IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. LISTEN TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCAIL BROADCAST FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END

GILKERSON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 19, 4:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXMonongalia, Preston50 min
Jul 19, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXMarion50 min
Jul 19, 5:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXTaylor60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.