Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Wakefield, VA

April 29, 1994Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Apr 29, 1994, 6:17 PM EDT for Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Virginia. It was in force for 43 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 29, 1994, 6:17 PM EDT (22:17 UTC)
Expired
Apr 29, 1994, 7:00 PM EDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Chesterfield County, VA, Henrico County, VA

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 170 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1994-04-29Temperature 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 1994-04-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 198 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
860 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
198 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
238 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 KRIC 292219
TORRIC
VAC041-087-760-292300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
617 PM EDT FRI APR 29 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RICHMOND HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
 
   ...CHESTERFIELD COUNTY...
 
AT 617 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 9 MILES
WEST SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND ACROSS NORTHERN CHESTERFIELD
MOVEMENT OF THE PARENT STORM WAS SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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, Apr 29, 4:41 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
VAZ047-048-061-068-069-080-292200

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
440 PM EDT FRI APR 29 1994

AT 425 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER WESTERN BUCKINGHAM COUNTY. THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY
OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AS WELL AS
SMALL HAIL.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN OVER WESTERN DINWIDDIE...AS WELL AS
CUMBERLAND AMELIA AND WESTERN HANOVER. STORM MOVEMENT WAS SLOWLY TO THE
NORTHEAST. AS A RESULT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS IS
POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO AND TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURHER
UPDATES.

 BPM
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 5:13 PM EDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
VAZ074>078-084>086-292200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
510 PM EDT FRI APR 29 1994

...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING THE NORTHERN NECK REGION...

AT 505 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE MOVING
THROUGH CENTRAL AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA. THESE THUNDERSTORM MAY AFFECT
ESSEX...WESTMORELAND...RICHMOND...MIDDLESEX...AND GLOUCESTER DURING
THE NEXT HOUR. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE STORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS IN
NORTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

RESIDENTS IN THE NORTHERN NECK AND MIDDLE PENINSULA SHOULD PREPARE
FOR THE POSSIBLITY OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN THIS EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO TV...RADIO...AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER
UPDATES.

AWP
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 5:51 PM EDT, 26 minutes before
VAZ047-048-061-068-069-080-292300

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
550 PM EDT FRI APR 29 1994

AT 550 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTING OVER CAROLINE COUNTY. FLOODING
OF AREAS OF POOR DRAINAGE IS LIKELY WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS STORM.
SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

ELSEWHERE...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE COUNTIES
OF WESTERN HANOVER...WESTERN HENRICO AND EASTERN GOOCHLAND.

THE THUNDERSTORM OVER BUCKINGHAM CONTINUED TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO AND TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER
UPDATES.

CCC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 29, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQLouisa40 min
Apr 29, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQHenrico42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.