Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Wakefield, VA
NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Jun 26, 1988, 3:03 PM EDT for Caroline County, Virginia. It was in force for 42 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 26, 1988, 3:03 PM EDT (19:03 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 26, 1988, 3:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wakefield, VA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Caroline 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
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 103 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
- 1877 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -276 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1189 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 135 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 97 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 KRIC 261903
TORRIC
VAC033-261945-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
303 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA
CAROLINE
AROUND 300 PM EDT CAROLINA CPUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED
SIGHTING A TORNADO 1 MILE SOUTH OF THE RAPPOHANOPCK RIVER
NEAR ROUTE 17.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
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 REINFORCED BUILDINGS.
PLEASE REPORT ALL SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY THE REPORT TO THE NEAREST NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
MATTWhat 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 26, 1:42 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA 1.40 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 2PM EDT UNTIL 8PM EDT FOR SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA WHICH DOES INCLUDE ALL THE HAMPTON ROADS CITIES.. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON OVER VIRGINIA. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY AT THIS TIME IS OVER THE VIRGINIA NORTHERN FOOTHILLS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AROUND 15 MILES AN HOUR. A LONE RAIN SHOWER WAS DETECTED OVlER THE SOUTHERN END OF THE VIRGINIA EASTERN SHORE. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE MONITORED THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED. THOMAS
Special weather statement, Jun 26, 1:56 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA 200 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988 ...SEVERE THUNERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA UNTIL 8PM. AT 155 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY AND IN GREENE AND MADISON COUNTIES. THESE DEVELOPING STORMS WERE MOVING EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT AROUND 15 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG DAMAGIN WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...AND SMALL HAIL. PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR DANGEROUS WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. MATT
Special weather statement, Jun 26, 2:47 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA 245 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988 ...SEVERE THUNERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA UNTIL 8PM. AT 245 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED CLUSTERS OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN ALBEMARLE COUNTY...WESTERN LOUISA AND SPOTSLYVANIA COUNTIES. THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY THREATENING WEATHER AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 MPH. PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF DANGEROUS WEATHER APPROACHES. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. MATT
Special weather statement, Jun 26, 2:58 PM EDT, 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA 300 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988 SEVERE THUNERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA UNTIL 800 PM AT 300 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED CLUSTERS OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN ALBEMARLE...NORTHERN FLUVANNA...WESTERN LOUISA...AND COUNTIES. THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY THREATENING WEATHER AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 MPH. PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF DANGEROUS WEATHER APPROACHES. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. MATT
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 3:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Essex, Richmond, Westmoreland | 55 min |
| Jun 26, 3:25 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Richmond | 65 min |
| Jun 26, 3:51 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Northumberland | 39 min |
| Jun 26, 5:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach | 56 min |
| Jun 26, 6:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Sussex | 56 min |
| Jun 26, 6:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Greensville, Southampton | 35 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988
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.