Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 28, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 18, 1995Surry County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1995, 4:18 PM EDT for Surry County, North Carolina. It was in force for 57 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 18, 1995, 4:18 PM EDT (20:18 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 1995, 5:15 PM EDT
In force: 57 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Whole counties

County Surry County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 80 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 45 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -271 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1716 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRNK 182022
SVRRNK
NCC171-182115-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
418 PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  515 PM EDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...NORTHERN SURRY COUNTY
 
AT 418 PM WEATHER RADAR IN BLACKSBURG INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
OVER NORTHWEST SURRY COUNTY ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF MOUNT AIRY. THE STORM
WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL WILL CROSS I-77 BETWEEN
420 AND 440 PM. IT WILL AFFECT MOUNT AIRY BY 445 PM.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
KAK/JDS

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.

NWS Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 18, 2:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 2:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
230 PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995

RECOMMENDATIONS...

WBC...RDU AND CRW...DO WHAT YOU WANT...HV HAD NO TIME TO LOOK AT
MUCH OF ANYTHING.

DISCUSSION...SMALL BOW ECHO PRODUCED NUMEROUS REPORTS OF DOWNED
POWER LINES AND TREES AND POWER OUTAGES ACRS NRN PORTION OF THE CWA.
OUTFLOW BNDRY FROM THIS CONVECTION NOW SHOWG UP ON SAT PICTS FROM ERN
APPOMATTOX COUNTY SOUTHWEST TO GRAYSON COUNTY. EXPpECT SEVERE TRW TO
DVLP HERE DURG THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

MTE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 18, 12:02 PM EDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before

WVZ042>045-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-NCZ001>006-
018>020-191200-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1200 PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 3 PM FOR SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA AND FAR
   SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 6 PM FOR THE REMAINDER OF
   SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
   ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA...

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND
NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

LATE THIS MORNING...A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WAS IN PLACE
ACROSS THE AREA. ADDITIONAL HEATING THIS AFTERNOON WILL INCREASE THE
INSTABILITY OF THE AIRMASS EVEN MORE. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE ALREADY OCCURRING IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND FAR
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE
RAPIDLY EAST-NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ALMOST ANYWHERE IN SOUTHEAST
WEST VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL LIKELY CONTINUE WELL INTO THE
EVENING HOURS...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE.

THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT IS
STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...ISOLATED
TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.
 :
STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO OR
TELEVISION FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED BY MID AFTERNOON.

MTE

Local storm report, May 18, 2:45 PM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
245 PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995
SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OF MAY 18, 1995

TIME     COUNTY/CITY        EVENT

1225 PM       CRAIG              TREES AND POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN
                                 OVER ENTIRE COUNTY.

1235 PM       CRAIG              12 TO 20 INCH DIAMETER TREES DOWN
                                  AND NUMEROUS POWER LINES DOWN IN
                                  NEW CASTLE VICINTY.

1238 PM       CITY OF ROANOKE     59 MPH GUSTS TURNED OVER SMALL
                                  AIRPLANE AT ROANOKE AIRPORT.

1242 PM       BOTETOURT           HOUSE PARTIALLY DESTROYED IN
                                  CLOVERDALE.
                                                                  .
1245 PM        CRAIG             TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AT
                                 NATIONAL FORREST SERVICE STATION
                                 AT POTTS MOUNTIAN.

1255 PM        BEDFORD           STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT REPORTED
                                 TREES DOWN ACROSS NORTHERN PART OF
                                 COUNTY.

100 PM         BOTETOURT         ROOFS BLOWN OFF TWO BUILDINGS
                                 AND NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN BUCHANAN.

105 PM         ROCKBRIDGE         WINDS 60 TO 70 MPH BLEW SCREENS
                                  OFF DOORS IN GLASGOW AND MADISON
                                  HEIGHTS.

110 PM         BEDFORD            STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT REPORTED
                                  POWER LINES DOWN IN BIG ISLAND.

135 PM         AMHERST            SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORTED TREES
                                  AND POWER LINES DOWN IN AMHERST
                                  AND MADISON HEIGHTS.

Special weather statement, May 18, 2:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

WVZ042>045-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-NCZ001>006-
018>020-182000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
25O PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995

FOR THE TIME BEING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON...ALONG A LINE FROM NORTHERN
CHARLOTTE COUNTY TO MARTINSVILLE TO NEAR GALAX AND IN THE MOUNTIANS
OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

IN ADDITION...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN KENTUCKY WILL
LIKELY SPREAD BACK INTO SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

MTE

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1995 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.