Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Wakefield, VA

June 27, 1994City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Jun 27, 1994, 11:14 AM EDT for City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was in force for 46 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 27, 1994, 11:14 AM EDT (15:14 UTC)
Expired
Jun 27, 1994, 12:00 PM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 151 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 1994-06-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 581 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 1994-06-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
581 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-83 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
893 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KORF 271514
TORORF
VAC550-810-271600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
1114 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORFOLK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL NOON EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA THE INDEPENDENT CITIES OF
 
   ...SOUTHERN CHESAPEAKE...SOUTHERN VIRGINIA BEACH
 
...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNITL 4 PM EDT...
 
VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE REPORTED A REPORT OF A FUNNEL CLOUD IN
THE INDIAN RIVER ROAD AREA.
 
A LARGE AREA OF SHKOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING FROM
NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA INTO VIRGINIA BEACH.
 
THESE STORMS ARE MOVING LTO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 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.
 
 
BOTTOM

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, Jun 27, 10:02 AM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
VAZ-070>073-080>083-271500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
1002 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT...

AT 1000 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT VOLENS VIRGINIA INDICATED
A LINE OF NEWLY DEVELOPED SHOWERS AND HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD
THE RICHMOND METRO AREA.  THE LINE OF STORMS IS 10 MILES WIDE WITH ITS
LEADING EDGE FROM GLEN ALLEN IN WESTERN HENRICO COUNTY SOUTH TO DINWIDDIE
IN DINWIDDIE COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL
BE AFFECTING MUCH OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER AND LISTEN TO YOUR
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATEST THE LATEST STATEMENT AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

TLM
Special weather statement, Jun 27, 10:03 AM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
VAZ-070>073-080>083-271500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
1002 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT...

AT 1000 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT VOLENS VIRGINIA INDICATED
A LINE OF NEWLY DEVELOPED SHOWERS AND HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD
THE RICHMOND METRO AREA.  THE LINE OF STORMS IS 10 MILES WIDE WITH ITS
LEADING EDGE FROM GLEN ALLEN IN WESTERN HENRICO COUNTY SOUTH TO DINWIDDIE
IN DINWIDDIE COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL
BE AFFECTING MUCH OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER AND LISTEN TO YOUR
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATEST THE LATEST STATEMENT AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

TLM
Special weather statement, Jun 27, 10:05 AM EDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
VAZ-070>073-080>083-271500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR ARRANGEMENT OF LAST SENTENCE.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
1005 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT...

AT 1000 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT VOLENS VIRGINIA INDICATED
A LINE OF NEWLY DEVELOPED SHOWERS AND HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD
THE RICHMOND METRO AREA.  THE LINE OF STORMS IS 10 MILES WIDE WITH ITS
LEADING EDGE FROM GLEN ALLEN IN WESTERN HENRICO COUNTY SOUTH TO DINWIDDIE
IN DINWIDDIE COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL
BE AFFECTING MUCH OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER AND LISTEN TO YOUR
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

TLM
Special weather statement, Jun 27, 10:06 AM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
VAZ-070>073-080>083-271500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR ARRANGEMENT OF LAST SENTENCE.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RICHMOND VA
1005 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT...

AT 1000 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT VOLENS VIRGINIA INDICATED
A LINE OF NEWLY DEVELOPED SHOWERS AND HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD
THE RICHMOND METRO AREA.  THE LINE OF STORMS IS 10 MILES WIDE WITH ITS
LEADING EDGE FROM GLEN ALLEN IN WESTERN HENRICO COUNTY SOUTH TO DINWIDDIE
IN DINWIDDIE COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL
BE AFFECTING MUCH OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER AND LISTEN TO YOUR
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

TLM
Special weather statement, Jun 27, 10:26 AM EDT, 48 minutes before
VAZ074>078-084>100-271530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
1026 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN VIRGINIA UNTIL 4 PM EDT...

AT 10 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND NEAR RICHMOND. ANOTHER
SMALL THUNDERSTORM WAS IN SUSSEX COUNTY.  THERE WAS A REPORT OF A
FUNNEL CLOUDY OVER SUSSEX COUNTY, THE SHERRIF DEPARTMENT HAD NO
REPORTS OF ANY TOUCHDOWNS.

THE MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS ARE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH.

THE WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUED ADDITIONAL STATEMETNS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

BOTTOM
Special weather statement, Jun 27, 10:30 AM EDT, 44 minutes before
VAZ074>078-084>100-271530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK VA
1026 AM EDT MON JUN 27 1994

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN VIRGINIA UNTIL 4 PM EDT...

AT 10 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND NEAR RICHMOND. ANOTHER
SMALL THUNDERSTORM WAS IN SUSSEX COUNTY.  THERE WAS A REPORT OF A
FUNNEL CLOUDY OVER SUSSEX COUNTY, THE SHERRIF DEPARTMENT HA0D NO
REPORTS OF ANY TOUCHDOWNS.

THE MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS ARE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH.

THE WEATHER SERVICE WILL ISSUED ADDITIONAL STATEMETNS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

BOTTOM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 27, 10:23 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCaroline, Hanover, King and Queen, King William, New Kent52 min
Jun 27, 10:23 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCharles City52 min
Jun 27, 11:07 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQEssex, Northumberland, Richmond, Westmoreland68 min
Jun 27, 12:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQIsle of Wight, Southampton, City of Suffolk69 min
Jun 27, 12:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Hampton63 min
Jun 27, 12:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach63 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.