Alert archive / Washington / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Seattle, WA

May 20, 1994Douglas County, Washington

NWS Seattle, WA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1994, 2:23 PM PDT for Douglas County, Washington. It was in force for 115 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 20, 1994, 2:23 PM PDT (21:23 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 1994, 4:18 PM PDT
In force
115 min
Issued by
NWS Seattle, WA
Area
Whole counties

County Douglas County, WA

The nearest sounding before it

Spokane Intl Airport, WA (KGEG), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 165 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, Spokane Intl Airport, WA at 12:00Z on 1994-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 9 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, Spokane Intl Airport, WA at 12:00Z on 1994-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
551 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-17 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 20, 12:01 PM PDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
WAZ009-202300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1158 AM PDT FRI MAY 20 1994

...HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL WAS REPORTED BY A WEATHER SPOTTER ABOUT 75
MILES WEST OF SPOKANE SHORTLY BEFORE NOON...

A WEATHER SPOTTER NEAR ELMIRA ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 2, ABOUT 75 MILES WEST
OF SPOKANE, REPORTED HALF INCH DIAMETER HALF AROUND 1145 AM THIS
MORNING. SATELLITE PICTURES AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER WEATHER
RADAR ALSO SHOWED DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS IN PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH COOL MOIST UNSTABLE AIR
CIRCULATING AROUND AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTHERN
IDAHO.  MORE THUNDERSTORMS, POSSIBLY WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN OR SMALL
HAIL, ARE EXPECTED MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF EASTERN
WASHINGTON TODAY.

IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING THROUGH THESE AREAS AND ENCOUNTER HEAVY RAIN,
HAIL, OR POOR VISIBILITY, SLOW DOWN OR PULL OFF THE ROAD.  DON'T DRI4VE
THROUGH WASHES OR LOW SPOTS COVERED WITH WATER.  IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE,
SEEK SHELTER IF YOU SEE A THUNDERSTORM APPROACH.

BUEHNER
Special weather statement, May 20, 2:04 PM PDT, 19 minutes before
WAZ007-009-210230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
200 PM PDT FRI MAY 20 1994

...HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL WAS REPORTED BY A WEATHER SPOTTER ABOUT 10
MILES NORTH OF EPHRATA AROUND 145 PM...

A WEATHER SPOTTER NEAR LAKE LENORE ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 17, ABOUT 10
MILES NORTH OF EPHRATA, REPORTED HALF INCH DIAMETER HALF AS WELL AS
HEAVY RAIN AROUND 145 PM THIS AFTERNOON. SATELLITE PICTURES AND WEATHER
RADAR ALSO SHOWED SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS IN PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH COOL MOIST UNSTABLE AIR
CIRCULATING AROUND AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTHERN
IDAHO.  MORE THUNDERSTORMS, POSSIBLY WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN OR SMALL
HAIL, ARE EXPECTED MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF EASTERN
WASHINGTON INTO THIS EVENING.

IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING THROUGH THESE AREAS AND ENCOUNTER HEAVY RAIN,
HAIL, OR POOR VISIBILITY, SLOW DOWN OR PULL OFF THE ROAD.  DON'T xDRIVE
THROUGH WASHES OR LOW SPOTS COVERED WITH WATER.  IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE,
SEEK SHELTER IF YOU SEE A THUNDERSTORM APPROACH.

BUEHNER
Special weather statement, May 20, 2:05 PM PDT, 18 minutes before
WAZ007-009-210230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION 1ST PARAGRAPH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
200 PM PDT FRI MAY 20 1994

...HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL WAS REPORTED BY A WEATHER SPOTTER ABOUT 10
MILES NORTH OF EPHRATA AROUND 145 PM...

A WEATHER SPOTTER NEAR LAKE LENORE ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 17, ABOUT 10
MILES NORTH OF EPHRATA, REPORTED HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL AS WELL AS
HEAVY RAIN AROUND 145 PM THIS AFTERNOON. SATELLITE PICTURES AND WEATHER
RADAR ALSO SHOWED SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS IN PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH COOL MOIST UNSTABLE AIR
CIRCULATING AROUND AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTHERN
IDAHO.  MORE THUNDERSTORMS, POSSIBLY WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN OR SMALL
HAIL, ARE EXPECTED MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF EASTERN
WASHINGTON INTO THIS EVENING.

IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING THROUGH THESE AREAS AND ENCOUNTER HEAVY RAIN,
HAIL, OR POOR VISIBILITY, SLOW DOW~N OR PULL OFF THE ROAD.  DON'T DRIVE
THROUGH WASHES OR LOW SPOTS COVERED WITH WATER.  IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE,
SEEK SHELTER IF YOU SEE A THUNDERSTORM APPROACH.

BUEHNER

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Washington, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.