Alert archive / Maryland / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Baltimore/Washington

May 13, 1990Carroll County, Maryland

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at May 13, 1990, 4:19 PM EDT for Carroll County, Maryland. It was in force for 41 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: May 13, 1990, 4:19 PM EDT (20:19 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 1990, 5:00 PM EDT
In force: 41 min
Issued by: NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area: Whole counties

County Carroll County, MD

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
May 13, 4:35 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Carroll, MD

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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 76 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: 6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -272 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 668 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 235 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 315 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 KBWI 132019
TORBWI
MDC013-132100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD
419 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND
      NORTHERN CARROLL

A REPORT HAS BEEN RECEIVED OF A POSSIBLE TORNADO OCCURRING NEAR
MIDDLETOWN IN FREDERICK COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL BE PASSING ACROSS
NORTHERN CARROLL COUNTY DUING THR NEXT HALF HOUR.

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 REINFORCED BUILDINGS.

PLEASE REPORT ALL SEVERE WEATHER TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND
ASK THERM TO RELAY THE REPORT ALONG TO A WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

SHAVER

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, May 13, 4:10 PM EDT, 9 minutes before

MDZ001>007- 132200

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
 410 PM EDT SUN MAY 13 1990

 ...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MARYLAND...

AT 4PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS
FROM MEAR HARRISBURG PENNSYLVANIA SOUTHWEST THROUGH FREDERICK COUNTY
TO NEAR CHARLOTTESVILLE VIRGINIA.

AT 4PM EDT THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR FREDERICK AND NEAR
WARRENTON IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING RAPIDLY
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH AS THE AREA MOVES TO THE EAST ABOUT 20 TO 30 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORM NEAR FREDERICK WILL BE MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN CARROLL
COUNTY BEFORE MOVING INTO PENNSYLVANIA. THE STORMS OVER NORTHERN VIRGINIA
MAY AFFECT THE BALTIMORE AND ANNAPOLIS AREAS.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY   [
OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

RESIDENTS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MARYLAND AND BOATERS ON THE
CHESAKEAKE BAY SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION
IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR IF ANY WARNINGS ARE ISSUED FOR
THESE STORMS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED AND FURTHER STATEMENTS
OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISUED IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.

SHAVER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 13, 4:16 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Frederick	29 min
May 13, 5:21 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Carroll	2 hr
May 13, 5:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Charles	56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 1990 Every tornado warning in 1990 Tornadoes 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.