Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 32, NWS Wakefield, VA

May 1, 1997Brunswick County, Greensville County, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 1, 1997, 4:11 PM EDT for Brunswick County, Greensville County, Virginia. It was in force for 19 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 1, 1997, 4:11 PM EDT (20:11 UTC)
Expired: May 1, 1997, 4:30 PM EDT
In force: 19 min
Issued by: NWS Wakefield, VA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Brunswick County, VA, Greensville County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:12 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 1, 3:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 209 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 173 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 212 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.

NWS Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 1, 2:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 2:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
225 PM EDT THU MAY 1 1997

ATMOS DYNAMICALLY CHARGED FOR DVLPG TSTM ACTIVITY THIS PM. PC-BASED RUC
SFC DATA SHOWS STG THETA-E RIDGE OVR NORTHEAST NC PIEDMONT WITH BEST
PRES FALLS OVER SE VA. ADAP SHOWS LI -4 AND SFC MOIST CONV MAXIMA SW OF
FA. DECENT JET COUPLET WILL CROSS REGION LATE THIS AFTN. DVLPG LN OF
CNVTN NOW OVR FAR WRN FA SHUD INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES FROM PIEDMONT INTO
MORE UNSTABLE AIR EAST OF I-95. LTST 88D VWP SHOWS UNIDIRECTIONAL WINDS
BUT GUD SPEED SHEAR...CONDUCIVE TO BOW ECHO DEVELOPMENT WITH STG WINDS A
PSBLTY.

UPR TROF MVS OFFSHORE TNT. BRIEF FLIRT OF POST-FRONTAL CAA WILL KP WINDS
UP INTO THE EVENING HOURS THEN DIMINISHING AS SFC HIGH MVS CLSR TO FA
TWD MORNING. MSTLY CLR NGT WITH SEASONABLE LOW TEMPS.

FLAT UPR RIDGE WITH RISING HEIGHTS ON FRI MEANS A FINE DAY ON TAP.
MSTLY SUNNY WITH TEMPS NR NORM...WUD LEAN A LTL HIGHER THAN GUID FOR
INTERIOR WITH STG MAY NR FULL SUN. LGT PRES GRAD AS SFC HI PASSES OVHD
MEANS C-BRZ WL KP IT COOLER NR CST.

ANTHR SHARP UPR TROF DIGS INTO MS VLY FRI NT AND SAT. WAA/OVERRUNNING
PATN SETTING UP LATE FRI NGT WITH CHC SPOTTY -DZ/-RA B4 SUNRISE AND
INTO EARLY SAT AM.

STRONG THETA-E RDG SHIFTS TO FA SAT PM WITH DECENT LOW LVL JET. ANTHR
CONVECTIVE AFTN PSBL WITH ANY SUN ADDING TO INSTABILITY. ANTHR WARM
HUMID DAY NONETHELESS WITH GUD CHC AFTN SHRA/TSRA.

CWF: MAY NEED TO KP SCA UP EARLY TNT IN BRIEF CAA EVENT.

RIC...47/74/54/78  0037
ORF...53/67/56/80  1026
SBY...45/70/50/75  1026
ECG...51/70/55/79  2025

CULLEN

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 1, 11:36 AM EDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 1, 3:14 PM EDT, 57 minutes before

VAZ063>068-070>100-501-NC012>017-030>032-102-502-504-
MD021>025-501-020100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
314 PM EDT THU MAY 1 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...EASTERN VIRGINIA AND THE
LOWER MARYLAND COUNTIES UNTIL 9 PM.

LARGE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS ARE ALREADY BEING REPORTED OVER PARTS OF
SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
EAST INTO NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF VIRGINIA
AND MARYLAND DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH CONTAIN
DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH AND HAIL 3/4 INCH OR GREATER
IN DIAMETER IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY ANY
THUNDERSTORMS.

ADVANCED PLANNING DURING A WATCH IS ESSENTIAL. PERSONS SHOULD
KNOW WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION
TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FREQUENT
UPDATES THROUGH TIMELY STATEMENTS...NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OUR
INTERNET WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/AKQ

CULLEN

Special weather statement, May 1, 3:15 PM EDT, 56 minutes before

VAZ063>068-070>100-501-NC012>017-030>032-102-502-504-
MD021>025-501-020100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
314 PM EDT THU MAY 1 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...EASTERN VIRGINIA AND THE
LOWER MARYLAND COUNTIES UNTIL 9 PM.

LARGE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS ARE ALREADY BEING REPORTED OVER PARTS OF
SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
EAST INTO NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF VIRGINIA
AND MARYLAND DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH CONTAIN
DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH AND HAIL 3/4 INCH OR GREATER
IN DIAMETER IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY ANY
THUNDERSTORMS.

ADVANCED PLANNING DURING A WATCH IS ESSENTIAL. PERSONS SHOULD
KNOW WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION
TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FREQUENT
UPDATES THROUGH TIMELY STATEMENTS...NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OUR
INTERNET WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/AKQ

CULLEN

Local storm report, May 1, 4:07 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD, VA
407 PM EDT THU MAY 01 1997

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0245 PM    BOYDTON                   VA   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/01/97   MECKLENBURG                    TREE LIMBS DOWN

0318 PM    LAWRENCEVILLE             VA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/01/97   BRUNSWICK

Local storm report, May 1, 4:11 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD, VA
411 PM EDT THU MAY 01 1997

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0338 PM    STONY CREEK               VA   .75 INCH HAIL.
05/01/97   SUSSEX                         WINDS OF 60-70 MPH
                                          REPORTED.
0341 PM    STONY CREEK               VA   50-60 YEAR OLD TREES
05/01/97   SUSSEX                         UPROOTED BY 70 MPH
                                          WINDS.

0401 PM    WAKEFIELD NWSO            VA   1.50 INCH HAIL.
05/01/97   SUSSEX                         HAIL COVERED GROUND
                                          WINDS ESTIMATED AT
                                          50+ MPH.

COBB

Local storm report, May 1, 4:11 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD, VA
411 PM EDT THU MAY 01 1997

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0338 PM    STONY CREEK               VA   .75 INCH HAIL.
05/01/97   SUSSEX                         WINDS OF 60-70 MPH
                                          REPORTED.
0341 PM    STONY CREEK               VA   50-60 YEAR OLD TREES
05/01/97   SUSSEX                         UPROOTED BY 70 MPH
                                          WINDS.

0401 PM    WAKEFIELD NWSO            VA   1.50 INCH HAIL.
05/01/97   SUSSEX                         HAIL COVERED GROUND
                                          WINDS ESTIMATED AT
                                          50+ MPH.

COBB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 1, 2:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Mecklenburg	30 min
May 1, 2:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Lunenburg	35 min
May 1, 3:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Brunswick, Dinwiddie	38 min
May 1, 3:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Greensville	26 min
May 1, 3:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Prince George, City of Petersburg	45 min
May 1, 3:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Sussex	45 min
May 1, 3:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Brunswick, Mecklenburg	32 min
May 1, 3:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Surry	25 min
May 1, 3:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northumberland	17 min
May 1, 4:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight	39 min
May 1, 4:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	James City, York, City of Newport News, City of Williamsburg	26 min
May 1, 4:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	City of Hampton, City of Newport News	29 min
May 1, 4:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	City of Poquoson	29 min
May 1, 4:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gloucester, Mathews	39 min
May 1, 4:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Southampton, Sussex	29 min
May 1, 4:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	27 min
May 1, 5:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, City of Suffolk	28 min
May 1, 5:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth, City of Virginia Beach	32 min
May 1, 5:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, City of Suffolk	29 min
May 1, 6:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	City of Chesapeake, City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth, City of Virginia Beach	38 min
May 1, 5:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	37 min
May 1, 6:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gates, Hertford	33 min
May 1, 6:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Bertie	41 min
May 1, 6:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gates	18 min
May 1, 4:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Somerset	31 min
May 1, 4:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Worcester	43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 1997 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.