Alert archive / West Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Charleston, WV

July 11, 1992Clay County, Nicholas County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at Jul 11, 1992, 5:33 PM EDT for Clay County, Nicholas County, West Virginia. It was in force for 57 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, 1992, 5:33 PM EDT (21:33 UTC)
Expired
Jul 11, 1992, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clay County, WV, Nicholas County, WV

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 11, 6:00 PM EDTHail 1.25Clay, 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

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 136 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, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 12:00Z on 1992-07-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 455 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 12:00Z on 1992-07-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 48 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
455 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
890 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCRW 112133
TORCRW
WVC067-015-112230-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
533 PM EDT SAT JUL 11 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...S...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...NICHOLAS COUNTY
 
IN WEST CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA
 
   ...CLAY COUNTY
 
CHARLESTON RADAR AT 530 PM INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO. TORNADOES
WERE OBSERVED OVER KANAWHA COUNTY WITH THIS STORM.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN 
INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
END/ORCHANIAN

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, Jul 11, 3:23 PM EDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
OHZ009-112100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
325 PM EDT SAT JUL 11 1992

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 325 PM EDT INDICATES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO AND NORTH EAST KENTUCKY.

THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE OVER CENTRAL LAWRENCE COUNTY OHIO AND NEAR
PORTSMOUTH OHIO MOVING EAST NEAR 30 MPH.

THESE STORM ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...DANGEROUS LI>GHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

IF YOU OBSERVE THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

SHUFF
Special weather statement, Jul 11, 3:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
OHZ009-112200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
400 PM EDT SAT JUL 11 1992

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 400 PM EDT INDICATES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO AND NORTH EAST KENTUCKY.

THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE OVER CENTRAL LAWRENCE COUNTY OHIO AND OVER
PIKE COUNTY OHIO MOVING EAST NEAR 30 MPH.

THESE STORM ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

IF YOU OBSERVE THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

SHUFF
Special weather statement, Jul 11, 4:18 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
OHZ009-112200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
420 PM EDT SAT JUL 11 1992

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 420 PM EDT INDICATES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST KENTUCKY AND WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA.

THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE OVER CENTRAL LAWRENCE COUNTY OHIO...PIKE COUNTY
OHIO AND ARE ENTERING NORTHERN CABELL AND MASON COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST NEAR 30 MPH.

THESE STORM ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

IF YOU OBSERVE THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS.
SHUFF
Special weather statement, Jul 11, 4:46 PM EDT, 47 minutes before
OHZ009-112300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTINGTON WV
445 PM EDT SAT JUL 11 1992

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 445 PM EDT INDICATES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHEAST KENTUCKY AND WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA.

THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE OVER  JACKSON  COUNTY OHIO AND GALLIA COUNTY OHIO.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST NEAR 30 MPH.
MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH THE STORM OVER GALLIA COUNTY.

THESE STORM ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

IF YOU OBSERVE THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FODR LATER STATEMENTS.
SHUFF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 10, 11:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXRoane49 min
Jul 11, 4:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXPutnam57 min
Jul 11, 4:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXKanawha64 min
Jul 11, 5:16 PM EDTTornado WarningRLXKanawha44 min
Jul 11, 6:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXKanawha57 min
Jul 11, 7:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXClay67 min
Jul 11, 7:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXGreenbrier111 min
Jul 11, 7:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXGreenbrier61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in West Virginia, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes in 1992

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.