Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Charleston, WV

April 28, 1989Mingo County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 28, 1989, 2:42 PM EDT for Mingo County, West Virginia. It was in force for 63 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 28, 1989, 2:42 PM EDT (18:42 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 1989, 3:45 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

County Mingo County, WV

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

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 78 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, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 12:00Z on 1989-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 87 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 12:00Z on 1989-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
87 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-166 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
899 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBKW 281844
SVRBKW
WVC059-281945-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
242 PM EDT FRI APR 28 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BECKLEY WV HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  345 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST WEST VIRGINIA
          ...MINGO
 
WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN EASTERN MARTIN
AND PIKE COUNTIES OF KENTUCKY MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO MINGO COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 28, 11:49 AM EDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA
1145 AM EDT FRI APR 28 1989

...STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...

AT 1140 AM EDT RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREMELY
HEAVY RAINFALL WERE MOVING INTO CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.  HOWEVER...A
BROAD AREA OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES ACROSS MOST OF
SOUTHCENTRAL AND EASTERN OHIO.  THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.

SKIES WERE BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY IN SOME AREAS...BUT CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE REGION.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION
AND FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.  BE SURE TO LISTEN TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

YOUNG
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 12:21 PM EDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKINS WV
12:15 PM EDT FRI APR 28 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO NORTH CENTAL WEST VIRGINIA...

WEATHER RADAR SHOWS THE LEADING EDGE OF AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING INTO THE WESTERN EDGE OF MONONGALIA...MARION...HARRISON...
LEWIS..AND UPSHUR COUNTIES IN WEST VIRGINIA AT MIDDAY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT NEAR 40 MILES AN HOUR.
THEY MAY BE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WIND..HEAVY DOWNPOURS..POSSIBLY
HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL COUNTIES OF
WEST VIRGINIA BY 1 PM, AND MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WEST
VIRGINIA BY 1:30 PM.

UPON THE APPROACH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS...SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY..
PREFERABLY A STRONG WELL BUILT BUILDING. HEAVY RAINFALLS MAY CAUSE
SMALL STREAMS TO RISE OUT OF THEIR BANKS..IF YOU LIVE IN A LOW LYING
AREA..KEEP A WATCH ON WATER LEVELS.
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 2:01 PM EDT, 41 minutes before
BULLETIN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY, WV
200 PM EDT FRI APR 28 1989

AT 155 PM BECKLEY RADAR SHOWERD A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
COVERING MUCH OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EASTWARD AT
AROUND 30 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO MINGO AND MCDOWELL COUNTIES OF SOUTHERN
WEST VIRGINIA BY 215 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

IF THREATNING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU SHOULD MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE INDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

END/CDB
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 2:03 PM EDT, 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA
155 PM EDT FRI APR 28 1989

...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA...

AT 150 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
CROSSING THE OHIO RIVER INTO WEST VIRGINIA.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...WINDS GUSTING TO 30 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
WERE RECORDED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAYNE COUNTY WEST
VIRGINIA AS THESE STORMS PASSED THROUGH.  THESE STORMS MAY ALSO
PRODUCE SMALL HAIL.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVE INDOORS.  CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

YOUNG
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 2:36 PM EDT, 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA
235 PM EDT FRI APR 28 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN MOVING THROUGH MARTIN COUNTY...

AT 250 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS NEAR INEZ AND MOREN
IN MARTIN COUNTY KENTUCKY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH AND WILL BE CROSSING
INTO WEST VIRGINIA BY 245 PM.

THESE STORMS CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY HAIL.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVE INDOORS.  CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

YOUNG
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 2:39 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA
237 PM EDT FRI APR 28 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN MOVING THROUGH MARTIN COUNTY...

AT 230 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS NEAR INEZ AND MOREN
IN MARTIN COUNTY KENTUCKY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND WILL BE CROSSING
INTO WEST VIRGINIA BY 250 PM.

THESE STORMS CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY HAIL.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVE INDOORS.  CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

YOUNG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 4:20 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXRaleigh55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 1989Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.