Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Wakefield, VA

March 31, 1989Chesterfield County, Dinwiddie County, Prince George County, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Mar 31, 1989, 1:48 PM EST for Chesterfield County, Dinwiddie County, Prince George County, Virginia. It was in force for 42 min. 3 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
Mar 31, 1989, 1:48 PM EST (18:48 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 1989, 2:30 PM EST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Chesterfield County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Prince George County, VA

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
Mar 31, 2:00 PM ESTHail 1.75Dinwiddie, VA
Mar 31, 2:00 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 52Chesterfield, VA
Mar 31, 2:15 PM ESTHail 1Prince George, VA

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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1989-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1989-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 54 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
715 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 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 KRIC 311847
TORRIC
VAC041-730-053-311930-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
148 PM EST FRI MAR 31 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RICHMOND HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
          ...CHESTERFIELD...IC PETERSBURG
IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
          ...NORTH CENTRAL DINWIDDIE
 
A TORNADO HAS BEEN REPORTED OVER DINWIDDIE COUNTY AT 145 PM. THE STORM
WILL TAKE IT OVER NORTHERN DINWIDDIE...PETERSBURG...AND SOUTHEAST
CHESTERFIELD CO.
 
TAKE COVER NOW.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
 
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...SEEK SHELTER IN THE
INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET TO
A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE.  AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR
BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.
 
GILLEN

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, Mar 31, 8:42 AM EST, 5 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
900 AM EST FRI MAR 31 1989

  ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY OVER CENTRAL VIRGINIA THIS
     AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WILL
MOVE NORTHEASTWARD LATER THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS NORTHERN VIRGINIA
AND CONTINUE ITS NORTHEASTWARD TREK TOWARD THE NEW ENGLAND STATES
TONIGHT.

A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL PREVAIL EAST OF THE EXPECTED PATH OF
THIS LOW. THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ANTICIPATED INTENSIFICATION
OF THE LOW WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE RAPID AND EXPLOSIVE DEVELOPMENT
OF VERY HEAVY TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS THE
MID ATLANTIC REGION. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BE ACCOMPANIED BY
TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...DAMAGING WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND
LARGE HAIL.

THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS APPEARS APPEARS TO BE
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN
VIRGINIA AS WELL AS EASTERN MARYLAND AND DELEWARE.

EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO
BROADCASTS AND COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT
THE DAY IN ORDER TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS POTENTIALLY
SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK.

IN RICHMOND VIRGINIA N.O.A.A. WEATHER RADIO STATION WXK-65 WILL
BE BROADCASTING STATEMENTS AND UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON A
FREQUENCY OF 162.475 MEGAHERTZ TO KEEP YOU APPRISED OF THE
DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

MATTHEWS
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 12:26 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
1225 PM EST FRI MAR 31 1989

 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OVER VIRGINIA...

AT 1225 PM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED WIDELY
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VIRGINIA. THE SHOWERS WERE LOCATED OVER THE
COUNTIES OF POWHATAN...AMELIA...NOTTOWAY...LUNENBURG...AND
MECKLENBURG. AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM HAD RAPIDLY DEVELOPED
OVER SOUTHWESTERN MECKLENBERG COUNTY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
AND WILL LIKELY INTENSIFY.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EASTWARD AT AROUND
35 MPH. FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT
THE AFTERNOON ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS ACTIVITY.

MATT
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 1:40 PM EST, 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
130 PM EST FRI MAR 31 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM FOR ALL OF SOUTHEASTERN
VIRGINIA INCLUDING THE LOWER BAY AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

AT 130 PM EST WEATHER RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM
RICHMOND SOUTH THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN PIEDMONT INTO CENTRAL
NORTH CAROLINA. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ACCOMPANIED
BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH AND WILL
BE MOVING INTO THE INTERIOR SOUTHEAST AREA OF VIRGINIA WITHIN THE
NEXT HOUR.

THE AREA OF CONCERN WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY AND FURTHER STATEMENTS
WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
JS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 1:27 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQChesterfield, Henrico48 min
Mar 31, 1:37 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQDinwiddie53 min
Mar 31, 1:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQNew Kent63 min
Mar 31, 1:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCharles City, Chesterfield, Prince George63 min
Mar 31, 2:23 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQJames City, York67 min
Mar 31, 2:51 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQIsle of Wight, Southampton, City of Suffolk69 min
Mar 31, 3:04 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Hampton56 min
Mar 31, 3:12 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQAccomack, Northampton63 min
Mar 31, 3:18 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

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.