Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Wakefield, VA
NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Jun 3, 1987, 8:06 PM EDT for Southampton County, City of Suffolk, Virginia. It was in force for 114 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 3, 1987, 8:06 PM EDT (00:06 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 3, 1987, 10:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 114 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wakefield, VA
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties City of Suffolk, VA, Southampton County, VA
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
Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 187 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 885 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 75 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 149 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KORF 040006 TORORF VAC800-175-040115- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA 806 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA...SOUTHERN AND WESTERN CITY OF SUFFOLK AND SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SOUTHAMPTON A TORNADO HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE TOUCHED DOWN 3 MILES WEST OF FRANKLIN AND IS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER OR A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR REENFORCED BUILDINGS. PLEASE REPORT ALL SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND ASK THEM TO PASS THE REPORT ALONG TO A WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. BOTTOM
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Jun 3, 5:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA 5113 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF VIRGINIA TILL 9 PM TONIGHT AT 510 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IN THE COUNTIES OF GOOCHLAND...POWHATAN BUCKINGHAM AND HENRICO. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH. STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...EXTREMLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING WINDS. PERSON IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA TONIGHT SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITION VIA YOUR LOCAL TV...RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WARNING FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL MONTIOR THESE STORMS AND ISSUED STATEMENT AS DEVELOPMENT OCCURS. WILLS
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:12 PM EDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA 513 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF VIRGINIA TILL 9 PM TONIGHT AT 510 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IN THE COUNTIES OF GOOCHLAND...POWHATAN BUCKINGHAM AND HENRICO. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH. STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...EXTREMLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING WINDS. PERSON IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA TONIGHT SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITION VIA YOUR LOCAL TV...RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WARNING FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL MONTIOR THESE STORMS AND ISSUED STATEMENT AS DEVELOPMENT OCCURS. WILLS
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:20 PM EDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA 513 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF VIRGINIA TILL 9 PM TONIGHT AT 510 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IN THE COUNTIES OF GOOCHLAND...POWHATAN BUCKINGHAM AND HENRICO. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH. STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...EXTREMLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING WINDS. PERSONS IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA TONIGHT SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITION VIA YOUR LOCAL TV...RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WARNING FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL MONITOR THESE STORMS AND ISSUED STATEMENT AS DEVELOPMENT OCCURS. WILLS
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:54 PM EDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA 5.50 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9 PM THIS WVENING... AT 5.30 PM RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEST OF PATUXENT RIVER TO EAST OF PETERSBURG. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL, HEAVY DOWNPOURS, STRONG WINDS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. ALL PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATING WEATHER AND TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT BOTTOM.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 6:52 PM EDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA 6.50 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9 PM THIS WVENING... AT 6.30 PM RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEW KENT COUNTY TO WESTERN SURRY COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL, HEAVY DOWNPOURS, STRONG WINDS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. ALL PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATING WEATHER AND TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT. BOTTOM.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 7:40 PM EDT, 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA 7.45 PM EDT WED JUN 3 1987 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9 PM THIS WVENING... AT 7.30 PM RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS FROM YORKTOWN SOUTHWEST PAST COURTLAND INTO NORTH CAROLINA THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH... THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL, HEAVY DOWNPOURS, STRONG WINDS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. ALL PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATING WEATHER AND TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT. BOTTOM
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes in 1987
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.