Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 12, NWS Blacksburg, VA
NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 20, 1998, 1:21 PM EST for Pulaski County, Virginia. It was in force for 29 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
- Mar 20, 1998, 1:21 PM EST (18:21 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 20, 1998, 1:50 PM EST
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Blacksburg, VA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pulaski County, VA
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 39 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1:26 PM EST | Hail 0.75 | Pulaski, 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
Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 109 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 595 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 179 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 234 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 20, 9:40 AM EST, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 9:40 AM EST, 3 hours 41 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 940 AM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 WBC...SAW YOUR WRKZFPS & THE FFA IS A GOOD IDEA. CRW...LOOKS LIKE WE NEED THE FFA EXTENDED WHERE ALREADY IN EFFECT... AND PROB SHUD ADD SMYTH...TAZEWELL AND MERCER COS AS WELL. RDU...FFA THRU THE AFT RATHER THAN EARLY AFT. HAVE HAD ONLY A LITTLE TIME TO LOOK THINGS OVER. LOOKS LIKE THE PROSPECTS FOR SVR ARE QUICKLY GETTING LESS...BUT MUCH OF MY FA IS UNDER THE GUN FOR HVY RAIN. I/M MOST WORRIED ABOUT THE MTNS...AS IT APPEARS ANY ADDITIONAL RW/TSTMS THAT DEVELOP IN THE WARM SECTOR THRU AT LEAST EARLY AFT WILL ROTATE UP INTO NW NC & SW VA. THEN THE FOCUS WOULD SHIFT MORE TOWARD THE PIEDMONT. JJ
In the hours before
Local storm report, Mar 20, 12:30 PM EST, 51 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Mar 20, 12:52 PM EST, 29 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Mar 20, 1:12 PM EST, 9 minutes before
NCZ003>006-020-VAZ013-014-016-017-022-032-033-043-044-058-210010- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 112 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 7 PM FRIDAY EVENING. THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ROANOKE... MONTGOMERY...PULASKI...FLOYD...CARROLL...FRANKLIN...PATRICK... HENRY...PITTSYLVANIA AND HALIFAX. IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE SURRY... YADKIN...STOKES...ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL. AT 115 PM DOPPLER RADAR AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG INDICATED AN INTENSIFYING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTERN PULAKSI COUNTY IN VIRGINIA SOUTWARD TO SURRY AND YADKIN COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LINE WAS TRACKING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH. CONDITIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERE ARE FAVORABLE FOR SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES ALSO POSSIBLE. REMEMBER...THE ACTIONS YOU TAKE DURING A TORNADO EVENT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY. NOGUEIRA
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 1:12 PM EST, 9 minutes before
NCZ003>006-020-VAZ013-014-016-017-022-032-033-043-044-058-210010- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 112 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 7 PM FRIDAY EVENING. THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ROANOKE... MONTGOMERY...PULASKI...FLOYD...CARROLL...FRANKLIN...PATRICK... HENRY...PITTSYLVANIA AND HALIFAX. IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE SURRY... YADKIN...STOKES...ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL. AT 115 PM DOPPLER RADAR AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG INDICATED AN INTENSIFYING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTERN PULAKSI COUNTY IN VIRGINIA SOUTWARD TO SURRY AND YADKIN COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LINE WAS TRACKING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH. CONDITIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERE ARE FAVORABLE FOR SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES ALSO POSSIBLE. REMEMBER...THE ACTIONS YOU TAKE DURING A TORNADO EVENT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY. NOGUEIRA
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 1:15 PM EST, 6 minutes before
NCZ003>006-020-VAZ013-014-016-017-022-032-033-043-044-058-210010- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 115 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 7 PM FRIDAY EVENING. THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ROANOKE... MONTGOMERY...PULASKI...FLOYD...CARROLL...FRANKLIN...PATRICK... HENRY...PITTSYLVANIA AND HALIFAX. IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE SURRY... YADKIN...STOKES...ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL. AT 115 PM DOPPLER RADAR AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG INDICATED AN INTENSIFYING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTERN PULAKSI COUNTY IN VIRGINIA SOUTWARD TO SURRY AND YADKIN COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LINE WAS TRACKING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH. CONDITIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERE ARE FAVORABLE FOR SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE THIS AFrTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES ALSO POSSIBLE. REMEMBER...THE ACTIONS YOU TAKE DURING A TORNADO EVENT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY. NOGUEIRA
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 1:15 PM EST, 6 minutes before
NCZ003>006-020-VAZ013-014-016-017-022-032-033-043-044-058-210010- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 115 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 7 PM FRIDAY EVENING. THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE ROANOKE... MONTGOMERY...PULASKI...FLOYD...CARROLL...FRANKLIN...PATRICK... HENRY...PITTSYLVANIA AND HALIFAX. IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE SURRY... YADKIN...STOKES...ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL. AT 115 PM DOPPLER RADAR AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG INDICATED AN INTENSIFYING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTERN PULAKSI COUNTY IN VIRGINIA SOUTWARD TO SURRY AND YADKIN COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LINE WAS TRACKING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH. CONDITIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERE ARE FAVORABLE FOR SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE THIS AFrTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES ALSO POSSIBLE. REMEMBER...THE ACTIONS YOU TAKE DURING A TORNADO EVENT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR FAMILY. NOGUEIRA
The office that day
Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 7:04 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Grayson | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 7:23 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Grayson | 32 min |
| Mar 20, 9:58 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Montgomery | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 11:09 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Roanoke, City of Roanoke | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 11:09 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | City of Salem | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 2:25 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Giles, Montgomery | 2 hr |
| Mar 20, 2:35 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Floyd | 50 min |
| Mar 20, 3:15 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Roanoke, City of Salem | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 3:15 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | City of Roanoke | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 3:34 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Roanoke, City of Salem | 36 min |
| Mar 20, 3:34 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | City of Roanoke | 36 min |
| Mar 20, 3:41 PM EST | Tornado Warning | RNK | Henry, City of Martinsville | 44 min |
| Mar 20, 4:03 PM EST | Tornado Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania | 62 min |
| Mar 20, 4:28 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Halifax | 47 min |
| Mar 20, 4:30 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Bedford, Botetourt | 2 hr |
| Mar 20, 4:51 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania | 49 min |
| Mar 20, 5:31 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Roanoke, City of Salem | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 5:31 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | City of Roanoke | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 6:11 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 6:53 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania, City of Danville | 47 min |
| Mar 20, 7:20 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Ashe | 35 min |
| Mar 20, 7:32 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany | 48 min |
| Mar 20, 7:40 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Alleghany | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 10:21 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Ashe, Watauga | 3 hr |
| Mar 20, 11:21 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Watauga | 34 min |
| Mar 20, 2:44 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes | 66 min |
| Mar 20, 2:45 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes | 45 min |
| Mar 20, 3:23 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham | 62 min |
| Mar 20, 3:35 PM EST | Tornado Warning | RNK | Rockingham | 30 min |
| Mar 20, 3:49 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell | 51 min |
| Mar 20, 4:21 PM EST | Tornado Warning | RNK | Rockingham | 19 min |
| Mar 20, 4:57 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell | 48 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998
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.