Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Wakefield, VA

June 8, 1990City of Suffolk, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Jun 8, 1990, 5:10 PM EDT for City of Suffolk, Virginia. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 8, 1990, 5:10 PM EDT (21:10 UTC)
Expired
Jun 8, 1990, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Whole counties

County City of Suffolk, 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

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 173 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 1990-06-08Temperature 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 1990-06-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 13 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1452 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
142 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 KORF 082111
TORORF
VAC800-082215-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
510 PM EDT FRI JUN 8 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA
      CITY OF SUFFOLK

AT 505 PM RADAR SHOWS A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER THE WEST
CENTRAL PORTION OF SUFFOLK. THIS STORM IS MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AT 10 TO 20 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
OR A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR REENFORCED BUILDINGS.
IF NO BUILDING IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW PLACE.

PLEASE REPORT ALL SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS AND ASK THEM TO PASS THE REPORT ALONG TO A WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.

RITTER

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, Jun 8, 12:35 PM EDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before
VAZ-006-007-081730-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
 1232 PM EDT FRI JUN 8 1990

 AT 1230 PM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A LINE
OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM THE NORTHERN PORTION OF BRUNSWICK
COUNTY NORTHEAST ACROSS DINWIDDIE AND PRINCE GEORGE.

THE STORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF BRUNSWICK COUNTY AND PRINCE
GEORGE COUNTY ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
STRIKES WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE EAST 40 MPH.

WILLS

                                                               .
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 3:28 PM EDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
VAZ001>004-082100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
320    PM EDT FRI  JUN  8  1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST
VIRGINIA UNTIL 10PM EDT...

THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR A LARGE SECTION OF SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA
THAT INCLUDES THE HAMPTON ROADS CITIES. THE WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT
UNTIL 10PM THIS EVENING.

AT 320 PM SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING
OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA FROM HAMPTON WEST ACROSS THE JAMES
RIVER INTO  NORTHERN SURRY COUNTY AND THEN SOUTHWEST INTO GREESNVILLE
COUNTY JUST WEST OF EMPORIA. A THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER NORTHERN SURRY
COUNTY.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 TO 30 MPH.
MARINE INTERESTS ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND COASTAL WATERS
SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE APPROACHING STORMS.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS
ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
RITTER
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 4:38 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
VAZ003-006-007-082200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
438 PM EDT FRI JUN 8 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT...

 AT 430 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF DEVELOPING
THUNDERSTORMS FROM GRANVILLE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...EAST NORTHEAST
INTO TIDEWATER VIRGINIA.  THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AND
NORTHEAST AROUND 35 MPH.  THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING ACROSS MECKLENBURG
AND BRUNSWICK COUNTIES BETWEEN 5 AND 6 PM.  ALSO...ADDITIONAL STORMS
DEVELOPING FURTHER TO THE NORTH MAY AFFECCT DINWIDDIE AND PRINCE GEORGE
COUNTIES BETWEEN 5 AND 6 PM.

  THE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY VIVID DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY
RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS.  SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL AS WELL.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...MOVE TO AN INDOOR AREA AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.  REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR
RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

GLILLEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 8, 4:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQIsle of Wight, Surry68 min
Jun 8, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach60 min
Jun 8, 6:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach63 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.