Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 67, NWS Charleston, WV

October 1, 1986Harrison County, Marion County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 1, 1986, 5:50 PM EDT for Harrison County, Marion County, West Virginia. It was in force for 60 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Oct 1, 1986, 5:50 PM EDT (21:50 UTC)
Expired
Oct 1, 1986, 6:50 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Harrison County, WV, Marion County, WV

The radar

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

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Oct 1, 6:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Marion, WV
Oct 1, 6:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Harrison, WV

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 1986-10-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 5 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1986-10-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
611 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 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 012152
SVREKN
WVC033-049-012250-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS, WV
550 PM EDT WED OCT 1 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 650 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...HARRISON AND MARION.

WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN 
HARRISON AND SOUTHWEST MARION WEST VIRGINIA MOVING8 EAST AT 30 MPH. 



IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED AREA 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.

END

GILKERSON

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, Oct 1, 3:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
340 PM EDT WED OCT 01 1986

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN OHIO AND NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...

AT 330 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF THEM HEAVY...STRETCHED
FROM NEAR ATHENS OHIO SOUTHWEST THROUGH JACKSON AND SCIOTO COUNTIES
OF OHIO INTO LEWIS COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. OTHER SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED
OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY. THE HEAVIEST OF THESE STORMS WAS MOVING
THROUGH THE PORTSMOUTH...WHEELERSBURG AREA.

THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL BE INTO MEIGS GALLIA
AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES OF OHIO AND GREENUP AND CARTER COUNTIES OF
KENTUCKY BY 430 PM.

THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONGo
GUSTY WINDS AS THEY PASS.

END/JMH
Special weather statement, Oct 1, 4:16 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, ELKINS WV
412 PM EDT WED OCT 1 1986

WEATHER RADAR AT 405 PM EDT SHOWED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
APPROACHING NORTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING
ACROSS WETZEL AND TYLER COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA. THE STORMS ARE
MOVING EAST AROUND 30 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN
AREAS OF MONONGALIA..MARION AND AND HARRISON COUNTIES BETWEEN 430
AND 530 PM EDT.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS..DANGEROUS LIGHNTING..HEAVY RAINS AND POSSIBLE
HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

PERSONS IN NORTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT TO
THREATENING WEATHER. TAKE SHELTER IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END

GILKERSON
Special weather statement, Oct 1, 5:08 PM EDT, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, ELKINS WV
510 PM EDT WED OCT 1 1986

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER MONONGALIA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA...

WEATHER RADAR AT 505 PM EDT SHOWED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST TO
THE WEST OF MORGANTOWN. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AROUND 30 MPH.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN
WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

LOCALIZED URBAN FLOODING PROBLEMS MAY RESULT IN THE AREAS OF HEAVY
RAIN. MOTORIST SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR PONDING WATER ON THE
HIGHWAYS.

OTHER STORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTHWEST MARION COUNTY AND BARBOUR
COUNTY.

PERSONS IN NORTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND TAKE SHELTER IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END

GILKERSON

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.