Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Charleston, WV

April 25, 1989Braxton County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 25, 1989, 5:56 PM EDT for Braxton County, West Virginia. It was in force for 64 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: Apr 25, 1989, 5:56 PM EDT (21:56 UTC)
Expired: Apr 25, 1989, 7:00 PM EDT
In force: 64 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Whole counties

County Braxton 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 25, 6:15 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Braxton, WV
Apr 25, 6:30 PM EDT	Hail 1	Braxton, 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

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 159 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 107 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -294 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1286 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 157 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 198 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCRW 252158
SVRCRW
WVC007-252300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
556 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF WEST VIRGINIA
      BRAXTON

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS REPORTED IN GILMER COUNTY AT 550 PM
MOVING AT 50 MPH TO THE SOUTHEAST.  THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY
OF LARGE HAIL..DAMAGEING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN.  SOME LOCAL CRREK
FLOODING MAY ALSO BE EXPERIENCED.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE BY A THUNDERSTORM...SEEK SHELTER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...HEAVY RAIN.._.AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

 AAR

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, Apr 25, 2:08 PM EDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
200 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL
WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 600 PM EDT.  A WATCH MEANS THAT A POTENTIAL EXISTS
FOR SEVERE WEATHER.  WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES IN THE WATCH AREA INCLUDE...

BRAXTON...CALHOUN...CLAY...FAYETTE...GILMER...GRANT...GREENBRIER...
JACKSON...KANAWHA...LEWIS...MONROE...NICHOLAS...PENDLETON...
POCAHONTAS...RALEIGH...RANDOLPH...ROANE...SUMMERS...UPSHUR...WEBSTER.

AT THIS TIME...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM NORTHWEST OF
LEWISBURG WV NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH ELKINS WV INTO THE WESTERN MARYLAND
PANHANDLE.  AT THE SOUTHWESTERN TIP OF THE LINE...NEAR RAINELLE WV...
RADAR INDICATES A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  MUCH OF THE LINE IS WEAKENING.

WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THE LINE INCLUDED NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HAIL...
GUSTY WIND...AND BRIEFLY HEAVY RAIN WITH LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS UP TO
ABOUT AN INCH.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN OHIO.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD EXTREME NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.
THE WEATHER SERVICE IS KEEPING CLOSE WATCH ON THIS AREA.

LISTEN FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END/PARKE

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 2:41 PM EDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before

BULLETIN
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY, WV
235 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

AT 130 PM BECKLEY RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER LEWISBURG
IN GREENBRIER COUNTY.  THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED 3/4 INCH HAIL AND
HIGH WINDS. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN
HOUR. THIS STORM WAS PART OF A LARGER AREA OF STORMS EXTENDING EAST
OF A LINE FROM ELKINS TO ROANOKE VIRGINIA. THE AREA WAS MOVING TO THE
EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

Local storm report, Apr 25, 2:44 PM EDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
245 PM TUE APR 25 1988

SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS DURING EARLY AFTERNOON OF APRIL 25 1989...

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND BRIEFLY
HEAVY RAIN AS IT SWEPT THROUGH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.  HERE IS A
LIST OF OFFICIAL REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

1220 PM......WOOD COUNTY...SMALL HAIL AND 1.13 INCH RAIN.

1240 PM......RITCHIE COUNTY...LARGE LIMBS DOWN FROM THUNDERSTORM.
             POWER OUTAGES RESULTED.

1245 PM......CALHOUN COUNTY...DIME SIZED HAIL.

110 PM.......BRAXTON COUNTY...ONE INCH HAIL IN FRAMETOWN.

END/PARKE

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 3:33 PM EDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS WV
3:22 PM EST TUE APR 25 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL
WEST VIRGINIA..AND RANDOLPH COUNTY IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS UNTIL
6 PM EDT...

AT 2:22 PM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR PARKERSBURG EAST TO NEAR CLARKSBURG
WEST VIRGINIA.THIS LINE IS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT NEARLY 45 MPH.
A LARGE STORM WAS OVER DODDRIDGE COUNTY THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE
SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.IT WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN HARRISON
COUNTY NEAR SALEM AND BRISTOL IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR.

THIS THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE STRONG GUSTY WINDS..POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL
F^REQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTING AND HEAVY RAIN.

PEOPLE IN NORTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA ARE URGED TO STAY ALERT AND
LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO..TV..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

END/PURDY

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 3:41 PM EDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before

BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY, WV
340 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

AT 330 PM BECKLEY RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO THE
PARKERSBURG AREA. THIS STORM LIKELY HAS LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...
HEAVY RAINFALL...AND INTENSE LIGHTINING. THIS STORM IS MOVING SOUTH-
SOUTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM IS PART OF A LARGER AREA
OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTEND EAST TO CLARKSBURG AND NORTH INlTO
PENNSYLVANIA.

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 5:40 PM EDT, 16 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND
LATE AFTERNOON WEATHER STORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND WESTERN
SLOPES OF WEST VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
540 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 11 PM EDT...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING FROM SOUTHEASTERN OHIO INTO
WEST VIRGINIA THIS AFTERNOON ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND AREAS
OF LARGE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY
SOUTHEAST.

THE STORMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT STRETCHING
FROM SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA ACROSS CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA TO
NORTHWESTERN OHIO AND NORTHERN INDIANA. THE POSITION OF THE FRONT IS
NOT EXPECTED TO CHANGE MUCH DURING THE EVENING SO SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL THREATEN OUR FORECAST AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE
FRONT WILL REMAIN OVER THE MOUNTAIN STATE WEDNESDAY AND KEEP A CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR ANOTHER DAY.

AT 5 PM TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM THE 70S AND LOWER 80S IN THE SOUTH TO
50S AND LOWER 60S IN THE NORTH WHERE MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION HAS
FALLEN DURING THE AFTERNOON. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE 50S TO
LOWER 60S.

WARM WEATHER WIHLL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS
IN THE MID 70S TO LOWER 80S.

END/AQD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 25, 3:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Pleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Wood	66 min
Apr 25, 4:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Calhoun, Roane	56 min
Apr 25, 4:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Braxton, Clay	69 min
Apr 25, 5:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Gilmer, Ritchie	61 min
Apr 25, 5:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Greenbrier	48 min
Apr 25, 6:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Webster	65 min
Apr 25, 6:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Pocahontas	69 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 1989 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.