Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Charleston, WV

May 28, 1990Putnam County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 28, 1990, 5:30 PM EDT for Putnam County, West Virginia. It was in force for 30 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 28, 1990, 5:30 PM EDT (21:30 UTC)
Expired
May 28, 1990, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

County Putnam County, WV

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
May 28, 5:45 PM EDTHail 1Putnam, WV

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

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 251 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 12:00Z on 1990-05-28Temperature 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 12:00Z on 1990-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1443 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
83 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 KCRW 282130
SVRCRW
WVC079-282200-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
530 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION......
 
IN WEST CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...PUTNAM COUNTY
 
THE CHARLESTON RADAR INDICATES A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTOM OVER WESTERN
PUTNAM COUNTY. LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THIS
STORM.
 
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.
 
END REZEK

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, May 28, 3:10 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
KYZ006-008-OHZ008-009-WVZ003-290000

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
310 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING IN EASTERN KENTUCKY AND WESTERN
WEST VIRGINIA...

AT 310 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST KENTUCKY AND WESTERN WEST
VIRGINIA. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHERN WAYNE COUNTY
WEST VIRGINIA AND IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. A LINE OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS APPROACHING THE TRI STATE FROM FARTHER WEST
AND WILL SOON BE AFFECTING THE AREA.
THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. IF YOU SEE
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHING SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY
PREFERABLY IN A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM. THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE
TORNADOES AND HAIL AND WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES ON THE SITUATION.
HAHRRISON
Special weather statement, May 28, 4:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
KYZ006-008-OHZ008-009-WVZ003-290000

SPECIALWEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
415 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT FOR NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY AND WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA...

AT 415 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAIN ACROSS THE HUNTINGTON ASHLAND IRONTON AREA...WITH THE STRONGEST
STORMS OVER CENTRAL WAYNE COUNTY OF WEST VIRGINIA AND ACROSS CENTRAL
GREENUP...CENTRAL CARTER...AND CENTRAL ELLIOTT COUNTIES OF KENTUCKY
MOVING NORTHEAST.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. IF YOU SEE
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHING SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY
PREFERABLY IN A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR  ROOM. THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE
TORNADOES AND HAIL AND WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES ON THE SITUATION.
SHUFF
Special weather statement, May 28, 5:17 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
KYZ006-008-OHZ008-009-WVZ003-290000

SPECIALWEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
515 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT FOR NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY AND WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA...

AT 415 PM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAIN AND STRONG LIGHTNING AND PEA SIZE HAIL ON A LINE FRON CROWN CITY
OHIO TO EAST HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA TO LOUISA KENTUCKY MOVING EAST
NEAR 20 MPH.
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOODING IS OCCURING IN SOUTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY
OHIO...AND EAST HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY AND WESTERN WEST VURGINIA FOR THE NEXT 2 TO 3 HOURS.
IF YOU LIVE NEAR A SMALL STREAM OR CREEK...WATCH FOR RISING WATER AND
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.

SHUFF
Special weather statement, May 28, 5:29 PM EDT, 1 minute before
WVZ006>007-282200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BECKLEY WV
525 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT FOR SOUTHWEST
WEST VIRGINIA...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA THROUGH
TONIGHT...

AT 520 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT BECKLEY SHOWED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER MCDOWELL...WYOMING...AND LOGAN COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 20 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO
BOONE...RALEIGH...AND MERCER COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN..AND DEADLY
LIGHTING MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOODING MAY ALSO OCCUR WITH THE HEAVER RAIN.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIALLY
DANGEREOUS WEATHER SITUATION.
CALCATERRA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 28, 4:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXLincoln, Putnam52 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West 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.