Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 87, NWS Charleston, WV

July 11, 1990Preston County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 11, 1990, 2:40 AM EDT for Preston County, West Virginia. It was in force for 65 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: Jul 11, 1990, 2:40 AM EDT (06:40 UTC)
Expired: Jul 11, 1990, 3:45 AM EDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Whole counties

County Preston 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 11, 3:15 AM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Preston, 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

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 111 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: 94 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 993 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 129 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.0
Supercell composite: -0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCRW 110642
SVRCRW
WVC077-110745-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
240 AM EDT WED JUL 11 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY

   IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA
      PRESTON

AT 230 AM EDT...SATELLITE IMAGERY AND WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING PRESTON COUNTY.  THIS THUNDERSTORM
IS APT TO PRODUCE LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL.  THE RAPID MOVEMENT OF
THIS STORM ALSO IMPLIES SUDDEN DAMAGING WINDS.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH
...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN.  FOR YOUR
PROTECTION...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADWAYS QUICKLY...AVOID
DRIVING INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS ROADS.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE FOR
DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND INTENSE LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE
OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO SHELTER...PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG
BUILDING.  ONCE INSIDE...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

 THIS STORM MAY CROSS THE MARYLAND BORDER INTO GARRETT COUNTY
 DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

 END/PARKE

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, Jul 10, 10:02 PM EDT, 4 hours 38 minutes before

WVZ002>009-012-VA015-016-110000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
10 PM EDT TUE JUL 10 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH MASON COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...

AT 945 PM...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR ZANESVILLE OHIO...SOUTHWARD TO EASTERN KENTUCKY.
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NOTED IN MASON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA...NORTH OF
PLINY...AND MOVING EAST AROUND 20 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH MASON COUNTY IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL AS
IT MOVES EASWARD TOWARD RIPLEY. ANYONE IN THE PATH OF THE
STORM...BETWEEN PLINY AND RIPLEY...SHOULD BE READY FOR DETERIORATING
WEATHER.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

END/JK

Special weather statement, Jul 11, 12:38 AM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before

WVZ002>009-012-VA015-016-110000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1230 AM EDT WED JUL 11 1990

A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING THROUTH NORTHWESTERN WEST VIRGINIA.

PITTSBURGH AND CHARLESTON WEATHER RADARS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER TYLER AND WETZEL COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA.
COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF THE STORM INDICATES AN INTERNAL STRUCTURE FAVORABLE
FOR SOME HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND SUDDEN HEAVY RAIN.  LIGHTNING
DETECTION EQUIPMENT INDICATES INTENSE...EXCESSIVE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY
WITH THIS STORM...ABOUT 15 HITS ARE REACHING THE GROUND EVERY MINUTE.

THE STORM IS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.  WE EXPECT THE STORM TO
STRIKE THE FAIRMONT WV...MORGANTOWN WV AREA ABOUT 130 AM THIS MORNING.

AT THIS TIME...THE STORM DOES NOT HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR DESTRUCTIVELY
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...OR FLASH FLOOD PRODUCING RAINS.  HOWEVER
...LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE LATER MESSAGES CONCERNING THIS STORM.

END/PARKE

Special weather statement, Jul 11, 1:41 AM EDT, 59 minutes before

WVZ002>009-012-VA015-016-110000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
140 AM EDT WED JUL 11 1990

A LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE CROSSING NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.

AT 130 AM EDT THE SCATTERED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHES FROM I-77
NEAR RIPLEY WV NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH I-79 AT CLARKSBURG...THEN ALONG
I-79 THROUGH FAIRMONT WV AND MORGANTOWN WV TO THE PENNSYLVANIA BORDER.
EACH THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE QUITE HEAVY.  COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL
STORM STRUCTURE SUGGESTS HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND SUDDEN HEAVY RAIN.
THERE IS EXCESSIVE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY...LIGHTNING IS HITTING THE
GROUND ABOUT EIGHT TIMES A MINUTE IN EAC5H STORM.

COMPUTER ANALYSIS DOES NOT YET IMPLY LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL OR DAMAGING
WINDS.  AND THE STORMS ARE MOVING FAST...MAKING RAIN TOO BRIEF TO CAUSE
FLOODING PROBLEMS.  LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS ON THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

END/PARKE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 10, 11:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Pleasants, Wood	50 min
Jul 11, 3:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Tucker	54 min
Jul 11, 3:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Grant	45 min
Jul 11, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Jackson, Wirt, Wood	59 min
Jul 11, 7:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Jackson	42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 1990 Every 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.