Alert archive / Maryland / Tornado Warnings in 1995
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Baltimore/Washington
NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Oct 5, 1995, 8:30 PM EDT for Charles County, Maryland. It was in force for 15 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
- Oct 5, 1995, 8:30 PM EDT (00:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 5, 1995, 8:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 15 min
- Issued by
- NWS Baltimore/Washington
- Area
- Whole counties
County Charles County, MD
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:31 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 8:35 PM EDT | Tornado F1 | Ironside/Grayton, MD | A strong mesocyclone, generated from the remnants of Hurricane Opal, developed south of the Potomac River and raced northeast during the mid-evening. When it moved into Maryland, it spawned three tornadoes in Charles, Prince Georges, and Anne Arundel County. |
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 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 63 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
- 937 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 608 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 293 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 415 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.6
- Supercell composite
- 8.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KWBC 060025 TORWBC MDC017-060045- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WASHINGTON DC 830 PM EDT THU OCT 5 1995 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL MARYLAND ...CHARLES COUNTY AND ADJACENT WATERS OF THE TIDAL POTOMAC RIVER THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHERN CHARLES COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THE TORNADO WILL AFFECT THE FOLLOWING CITIES: GRAYTON...HICKORY HILL AND NANJEMOY 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. AN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 8:52 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Prince George's | 38 min |
| Oct 5, 9:27 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Anne Arundel | 33 min |
| Oct 5, 10:09 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Baltimore, Harford | 36 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.