Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Baltimore/Washington

May 4, 1996Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 1996, 10:00 PM EDT for Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, Virginia. It was in force for 50 min. 2 reports 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
May 4, 1996, 10:00 PM EDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1996, 10:50 PM EDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties City of Fairfax, VA, Fairfax County, VA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 4, 10:32 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 69Ft Belvoir, VA
May 4, 10:45 PM EDTHail 0.75Alexandria, VA

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 15 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 00:00Z on 1996-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 219 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 1996-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -49 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
219 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1526 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KWBC 050203
SVRWBC
VAC059-153-179-510-600-610-683-685-050250-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WASHINGTON DC
1000 PM EDT SAT MAY 4 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1050 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN NORTH VIRGINIA

   ...FAIRFAX COUNTY
   ...PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

IN NORTH VIRGINIA THE INDEPENDENT CITY OF

   ...FAIRFAX CITY
   ...ALEXANDRIA
   ...FALLS CHURCH

IN NORTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

   ...STAFFORD COUNTY

IN  VIRGINIA THE INDEPENDENT CITY OF

   ...MANASSAS
   ...MANASSAS PARK
 
AT 1000 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH
INTO THE WARNING AREA. THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF
PRODUCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND WIND DAMAGE.
SEEK SHELTER AS THESE STORMS APPROACH.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

GSS/ABW

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 8:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXHighland30 min
May 4, 8:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCulpeper, Madison, Rappahannock33 min
May 4, 8:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAugusta, Rockingham30 min
May 4, 8:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCulpeper, Fauquier35 min
May 4, 8:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAugusta, City of Staunton51 min
May 4, 8:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXRockingham51 min
May 4, 8:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXNelson51 min
May 4, 8:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCity of Waynesboro51 min
May 4, 8:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAlbemarle, City of Charlottesville51 min
May 4, 9:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXStafford50 min
May 4, 9:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXGreene, Madison, Page51 min
May 4, 9:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXRappahannock51 min
May 4, 9:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXKing George49 min
May 4, 9:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCulpeper, Fauquier, Orange50 min
May 4, 10:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXPrince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park50 min
May 4, 10:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCity of Falls Church50 min
May 4, 10:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXStafford50 min
May 4, 10:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCity of Alexandria50 min
May 4, 10:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCity of Alexandria38 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

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.