Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Baltimore/Washington
NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 6, 1991, 4:35 PM EDT for 4 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 55 min. 2 reports 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 6, 1991, 4:35 PM EDT (20:35 UTC)
- Expired
- May 6, 1991, 5:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 55 min
- Issued by
- NWS Baltimore/Washington
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Culpeper County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 4:35 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Loudoun, VA | |
| May 6, 4:40 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Fauquier, 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
Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 48 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 13 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -33 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 559 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 16 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 33 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KWBC 062035 SVRWBC VAC047-157-107-061-113-062130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WASHINGTON DC 435 PM EDT MON MAY 6 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA ...CULPEPER COUNTY...RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY IN NORTH VIRGINIA ...LOUDOUN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA ...FAUQUIER COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA ...MADISON COUNTY AT 435 PM RADAR SHOWED A DEVELOPING AND INTENSIFYING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTERN LOUDOUN COUNTY ACROSS WESTERN FACQUIER COUNTY TO JUST WEST OF CHARLOTTESVILLE VA. THE LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 MPH. IN ADDITION WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH WERE REPORTED 14 MILES NORTHWEST OF LEESBURG VA. 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. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN tEFFECT FOR A PORTION OF THE WARNED AREA. R SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. JLW
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 6, 2:56 PM EDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
MDZ001>007- 062000- NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT 2.50PM EDT MON MAY 6 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER NORTHEAST MARYLAND... AT 2.45PM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SMALL CLUSTERS OF RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTROMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER ANNE ARUNDEL...BALTIMORE ...HARFORD AND CECIL COUNTIES IN NORTHEASTERN MARYLAND. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH. WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE RIPE FOR FURTHER THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPEMENT. AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT HAD PRODUCED VERY HEAVY TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN MARYLAND AS IT MOVES ACROSS MARYLAND. THIS AREA IS EXPECTED TO MORE INTO CENTRAL AND EASTERN MARYLAND LATER THIS AFTERNOON. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TORNADO WATCH/WARNING IS ANTICIPATED FOR THESE SECTIONS OF THE STATE AS THE FRONT APPROACHES. RAD
Special weather statement, May 6, 3:16 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
MDZ001>007- 062200- NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT 3.15PM EDT MON MAY 6 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MOST OF MARYLAND AS THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE AREA... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED EXTENDING FROM RICHMOND VIRGINIA TO PHILADELPHIAPENNSYLVANIA UNTIL 10PM TONIGHT. THIS WATCH INCLUDES ALL MARYLAND COUNTIES EX- CEPT GARRETT AND ALLEGHANY COUNTIES. AT 3.00PM RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPEARING ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT PAXUXENT RIVER MARYLAND. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH. INCLUDED IN A TORNADO WATCH IS THE STRONG LIKELIHOOD FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN NOW TO MINIMIZE THE DANGERS FOR THE IMPENDING STORMS. RAD
Special weather statement, May 6, 4:04 PM EDT, 31 minutes before
MDZ001>007- 062100- NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT 410 PM EDT MON MAY 6 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4PM TO 10 PM... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF MARYLAND EXCEPT ALLEGHENY AND GARRETT COUNTIES... AT 400 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED IN THE HAGERSTOWN AREA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH. THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH WIND GUSTS TO 66 MPH AND 1 INCH HAIL AND TREES DOWN IN PARTS OF VA. AND W.VA. THE WEATHER SERVICE WILL BE MONITORING THESE STORMS AS THEY ADVANCE ACROSS THE STATE AND WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE LOCAL ?MEDIA FOR FUTHER UPDATES AND BULLETINS. FAD
Special weather statement, May 6, 4:23 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
MDZ001>007- 062100- NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT 420 PM EDT MON MAY 6 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4PM TO 10 PM... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF MARYLAND EXCEPT ALLEGHENY AND GARRETT COUNTIES... AT 415 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED IN WASHINGTON AND FREDERICK COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH. WIND GUSTS OF 70 MPH WERE REPORTED IN BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT AND 50 MPH IN JEFFERSON BOTH IN FREDERICK CO. PERSON IN CARROLL COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG WINDS IN THE NEXT HOUR. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE LOCAL MEDIA FOR FUTHER UPDATES AND BULLETINS. _ FAD
The office that day
Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Frederick | 49 min |
| May 6, 2:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | City of Winchester | 49 min |
| May 6, 3:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Loudoun | 68 min |
| May 6, 3:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Clarke | 68 min |
| May 6, 4:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Madison | 55 min |
| May 6, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Arlington, Fairfax, City of Alexandria, City of Falls Church | 55 min |
| May 6, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Prince William, Stafford | 55 min |
| May 6, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | City of Fairfax | 55 min |
| May 6, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park | 55 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991
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.