Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Charleston, WV

January 5, 1997Logan County, Mingo County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 5, 1997, 2:51 AM EST for Logan County, Mingo County, West Virginia. It was in force for 39 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
Jan 5, 1997, 2:51 AM EST (07:51 UTC)
Expired
Jan 5, 1997, 3:30 AM EST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Logan County, WV, Mingo County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:55 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jan 5, 3:00 AM ESTThunderstorm WindBreeden, WV
Jan 5, 3:05 AM ESTThunderstorm WindHolden, WV

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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jan 5, 12:45 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 233 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 1997-01-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 1997-01-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 144 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
969 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
283 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, Jan 5, 1:40 AM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes before
WVZ005>011-013>020-024>034-039-040-VAZ003-004-OHZ066-067-075-076-
083>087-KYZ101>103-105-051100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
140 AM EST SUN JAN 5 1997

FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL OHIO VALLEY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EXTREME SOUTHERN OHIO
...NORTHEASTERN KENTUCKY...THE TENNESSEE RIVER DRAINAGE IN VIRGINIA
...AND SOUTHWESTERN WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 545 AM EST THIS MORNING.

AT 130 AM EST...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VIGOROUS
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM LONDON KY NORTH ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER
JUST WEST OF PORTSMOUTH OH ON UP TO COLUMBUS OH.  THE LINE IS MOVING
EAST AT 40 MPH.

STRONG DAMAGING WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN
OHIO AND KENTUCKY DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS.

AT THE PRESENT RATE OF PROGRESS...THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL
STRIKE HUNTINGTON WV AT 230 TO 300 AM EST AND WILL REACH CHARLESTON
WV AND PARKERSBURG WV ABOUT 400 TO 430 AM EST THIS MORNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THROUGHOUT
THE WATCH AREA.  WATCH FOR UNUSUALLY THREATENING CONDITIONS AND
LISTEN FOR ANY WARNINGS THAT MIGHT BE ISSUED FOR YOUR COUNTY.

EOM
Special weather statement, Jan 5, 1:45 AM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
WVZ005>011-013>020-024>034-039-040-VAZ003-004-OHZ066-067-075-076-
083>087-KYZ101>103-105-051100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
140 AM EST SUN JAN 5 1997

FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL OHIO VALLEY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EXTREME SOUTHERN OHIO
...NORTHEASTERN KENTUCKY...THE TENNESSEE RIVER DRAINAGE IN VIRGINIA
...AND SOUTHWESTERN WEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 545 AM EST THIS MORNING.

AT 130 AM EST...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VIGOROUS
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM LONDON KY NORTH ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER
JUST WEST OF PORTSMOUTH OH ON UP TO COLUMBUS OH.  THE LINE IS MOVING
EAST AT 40 MPH.

STRONG DAMAGING WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN
OHIO AND KENTUCKY DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS.

AT THE PRESENT RATE OF PROGRESS...THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL
STRIKE HUNTINGTON WV AT 230 TO 300 AM EST AND WILL REACH CHARLESTON
WV AND PARKERSBURG WV ABOUT 400 TO 430 AM EST THIS MORNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THROUGHOUT
THE WATCH AREA.  WATCH FOR UNUSUALLY THREATENING CONDITIONS AND
LISTEN FOR ANY WARNINGS THAT MIGHT BE ISSUED FOR YOUR COUNTY.

EOM

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 1997Every 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.