Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Blacksburg, VA

April 25, 1989Bedford County, Botetourt County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 25, 1989, 8:11 PM EDT for Bedford County, Botetourt County, Virginia. It was in force for 49 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 25, 1989, 8:11 PM EDT (00:11 UTC)
Expired
Apr 25, 1989, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bedford County, VA, Botetourt 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 152 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1989-04-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 497 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1989-04-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
497 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1856 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KROA 260012
SVRROA
VAC019-023-260100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
811 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROANOKE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
          ...BEDFORD
IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
          ...BOTETOURT
 
AT 807 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATES A POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
SOUTHCENTRAL BOTETOURT MOVING SOUTHEAST TOWARD CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTY.
THE STORM SHOULD MOVE INTO BEDFORD COUNTY BY 725 PM.
 
THE STORM SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER ROUND OF POSSIBLE DAMAGING
WIND...LARGE HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CLOSE TO THE PATH OF
PREVIOUS STORMS.
 
PERSONS IN THOSE AREAS SHOULD PREPARE TO TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
 
$$
HM

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, 2:20 PM EDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
220 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IN EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA MOVING TOWARD
  VIRGINIA COUNTIES OF CRAIG AND BOTETOURT...

AT 225 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM OVER
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS WV. THIS STORM MAY BE SEVERE AND CONTAIN HAIL
AND STRONG WINDS. IT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES
OF CRAIG AND BOTETOURT IN A SHORT TIME.

PERSONS IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER AND
LISTEN TO RADIO, TV AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE STORM
WARNINGS ON THIS STORM.

ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM IS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTHWEST FRANKLIN
COUNTY WHILE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.  RADAR INDICATES THIS
STORM MAY HAVE HAIL ASSOCIATED.
Special weather statement, Apr 25, 4:06 PM EDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LYNCHBURG VA
400 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM...

AT 330 PM WEATHER RADAR REPORTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING
NORTHWEST THROUGH BEDFORD COUNTY.
THE BEDFORD SHERIFF OFFICE REPORTED STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL
JUST BEFORE 400 PM.  THEY HAVE REPORTS OF TREES DOWN AND POWER
OUTAGES.  THE THUNDERSTORM MOVED THROUGH THEQ CITY OF BEDFORD AT
4 PM AND BY 410 THE SHERIFF REPORTED JUST LIGHT RAIN FALLING.

PERSONS IN THE AREA COVERED BY THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR FURTHER
ADVISORIES.

AJK
Special weather statement, Apr 25, 5:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
530 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND
WESTCENTRAL VIRGINIA EXTENDED TO 11 PM THIS EVENING...

THE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT OVER PARTS OF VIRGINIA AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 11 PM THIS EVENING.  IN THE ROANOKE AND
LYNCHBURG WEATHER OFFICE AREAS THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE INCLUDED:
  AMHERST...APPOMATTOX...BEDFORD...BOTETOURT...CAMPBELL...CHARLOTTE..
  CRAIG...FLOYD...FRANKLIN...GILES...HALIFAX...HENRY...MONTGOMERY...
  PATRICK...PITTSYLVANIA...PULASKI...AND ROANOKE.

THE INDEPENDENT CITIES INCLUDED ARE BEDFORD...LYNCHBURG...RADFORD...
SALEM...ROANOKE...SALEM AND SOUTH BOSTON.

AT 530 PM RADAR SHOWED THAT ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS
BEGINNING TO DEVELOP IN WEST VIRGINIA NORTH OF WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS.
THESE STORMS SHOULD BE MOVING RAPIDLY SOUTHEAST OVER THE NEXT HOUR
AND WILL LIKELY BE APPROACHING THE VIRGINIA LINE IN THE VICINITY OF
CRAIG AND BOTETOURT COUNTIES BY 630 PM.

PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR APPROACHING STORMS
AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING. STAY TUNED TO TV AND RADIO SOURCES IN THE EVENT WARNINGS
ARE ISSUED ON THE STORMS.
Special weather statement, Apr 25, 7:50 PM EDT, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
755 PM EDT TUE APR 25 1989

...SCATTERED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STILL MOVING THROUGH
PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND WESTCENTRAL VIRGINIA....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT....

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND WESTCENTRAL
VIRGINIA REMAINS IN EFFECT

AT 755 WEATHER RADAR SHOWED ANOTHER VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM ALONG
THE COUNTY LINE BETWEEN CRAIG AND BOTETOURT COUNTIES.  THIS STORM
IS MOVING RAPIDLY TOWARD THE TROUTVILLE AREA OF BOTETOURT AND WILL
MOVE INTO BEDFORD COUNTY IN ANOTHER HALF HOUR. THIS STORM IS BEING
CHECKED CLOSELY AS IT MAY CONTAIN SEVERE WEATHER. PERSONS IN THE
BOTETOURT AND BEDFORD AREAS SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR ITS PASSAGE DURING
THE NEXT HOUR AND LISTEN TO RADIO AND TV IN THE EVENT A WARNING IS
ISSUED.

A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IS ALSO IN PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY. THIS STORM IS
ONE THAT CROSSED BEDFORD COUNTY EARLIER.

HM

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 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.