Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Wakefield, VA

April 2, 1990Prince Edward County, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 2, 1990, 4:28 PM EDT for Prince Edward County, Virginia. It was in force for 62 min. 1 report 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 2, 1990, 4:28 PM EDT (20:28 UTC)
Expired
Apr 2, 1990, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Prince Edward 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
Apr 2, 4:50 PM EDTHail 1.75Prince Edward, 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 182 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 12:00Z on 1990-04-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 5 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 12:00Z on 1990-04-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -16 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-95 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1369 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 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 022028
SVRRIC
VAC147-022130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
428 PM EDT MON APR 2 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA
      PRINCE EDWARD


AT 420 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED VERY
HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY MOVUNG EAST AT
30 MPH. THESE STORMS HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED LARGE HAIL IN COUNTIES
WEST OF THIS AREA AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO DO SO AS THEY MOVE
EASTWARD.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES
PER HOUR AND HAIL 3/4-XINCH OR LARGER IN DIAMETER.

REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
FOR RELAY TO THE NEAREST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

 MATT

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 2, 2:37 PM EDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
VAZ003-004-006-007-010-012-013-014-017-018-030100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
235 PM EDT MON APR 2 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA UNTIL 800 PM EDT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING UNTIL
800 PM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL DAMAGING WINDS
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THIS AREA.

PERSONS IN THIS AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTS
FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
<
AT 235 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED ONLY WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS OVER
THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES OF BATH AND APPOMATOX MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

MATT
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 4:20 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
VAZ003-004-006-007-010-012-013-014-017-018-030100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
416 PM EDT MON APR 2 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA UNTIL 800 PM EDT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WARNING FOR BUCKINGHAM COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

AT 416 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED TWO AREAS OF
HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN BUCKINGHAM AND APPPOMATOX COUNTIES
MOVING EASTWARD AT 35 TO 40 MPH. AT THE PRESENT SPEED THESE STORMS
WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE COUNTIES OF CUMBERLAND AND PRINCE EDWARD
WITHIN THE HOUR.
<
PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR DAMAGING WEATHER
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER NAPPROACHES.
FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
<
MATT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 2, 3:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQBuckingham68 min
Apr 2, 5:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCumberland, Goochland, Powhatan59 min
Apr 2, 5:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQAmelia66 min
Apr 2, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQChesterfield59 min
Apr 2, 7:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQHenrico56 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.