Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 35, NWS Blacksburg, VA

April 19, 1998Pittsylvania County, City of Danville, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 19, 1998, 5:02 PM EDT for Pittsylvania County, City of Danville, Virginia. It was in force for 63 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
Apr 19, 1998, 5:02 PM EDT (21:02 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 1998, 6:05 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties City of Danville, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:02 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 19, 3:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 56 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-19Temperature 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 558 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
492 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
558 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
654 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

784 
WUUS01 KRNK 192101 RRA
SVRRNK
VAC143-590-192205-

BULLETIN--IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
502 PM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  DANVILLE IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 605 PM EDT

* AT 502 PM EDT... BLACKSBURG DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF DANVILLE OR 8 MILES WEST
  SOUTHWEST OF BLAIRS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO REACH...
 BLAIRS                          AROUND 510 PM EDT
 DRY FORK                        AROUND 515 PM EDT
 KEELING                         AROUND 520 PM EDT
 CHATHAM                         AROUND 520 PM EDT
 GRETNA                          AROUND 530 PM EDT
 JAVA                            AROUND 530 PM EDT
 CHALK LEVEL                     AROUND 535 PM EDT

GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS A TORNADO
WATCH IS IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO
PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

NOGUEIRA

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 Apr 19, 2:44 PM EDT, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 2:44 PM EDT, 2 hours 18 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
245 PM SUN APR 19 1998

RECOMMENDATIONS...
ALL...GREAT PHONE CONVERSATIONS TODAY.
.CRW...RUN WITH YOUR THOUGHTS REGARDING ZONES/WATCH.
RNK SPECIAL SOUNDING IS UNDERWAY THIS AFTERNOON AS REQUESTED

DISCUSSION...
KFCX 88D AT 18Z SHWD SHWRS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS MAINLY WEST OF
A CLT TO CHO LINE. REVIEW OF GSP 88D INDCTD A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING. SFC LOW WITH ASSOCIATED TROF NEARLY OVERHEAD WITH COLD
FRONT TRAILING SOUTH TO FL. AS PROGD LOW LIFTS N...COLD FRONT PUSHES
EAST. SOME TIMING DIFERENCES NOTED ON CD FROPA BUT PCP SHOULD END
TONIGHT. WEST FLOW AND LINGER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY HOLD CLOUDS IN
THE WESTERN SLOPES. HOWEVER...HIGH PRES SLIDES EAST TONIGHT INTO
MONDAY. HIGH MOVES EAST ALLOWING CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM HEAD OUR WAY ON
TUESDAY-TUESDAY NIGHT. JUST BEEN BOXED...
A FEW QUICK NUMBERS...
ROA 45/66/45/68 4111
LYH 48/68/45/67 5111
DAN 52/70/46/68 5111
RNK 44/63/43/65 3112
BLF 40/60/44/65 3112
KK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 19, 11:30 AM EDT, 5 hours 32 minutes before
NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-
059-WVZ042>045-201200-

THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1130 AM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...

LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN TENNESSEE THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE ALONG
THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS TO A POSITION OVER THE PANHANDLE OF
MARYLAND THIS EVENING.  AS THE TRACKS NORTHEAST... A WARM FRONT WILL
LIFT ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC REGION.  THIS WILL ALLOW UNSTABLE AIR TO
SPILL INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA AND INTO FAR
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE RISK AREA THIS
AFTERNOON THOUGH THIS EVENING AHEAD OF AN EASTWARD MOVING COLD
FRONT.  AS COLDER AIR ALOFT AND A STRONG JET STREAM ARRIVE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.

THE MAIN THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BE DAMAGING WINDS.  THE DANGER WILL
BE HEIGHTENED BY THE RECENT AND EXPECTED RAINFALL.  TREES AND POORLY
SECURED STRUCTURES WILL BE TOPPLED MORE EASILY BECAUSE OF THE SOFT
GROUND.  LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

DESROSIERS/KOSTURA
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 11:30 AM EDT, 5 hours 32 minutes before
NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-
059-WVZ042>045-201200-

THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1130 AM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE...

LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN TENNESSEE THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE ALONG
THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS TO A POSITION OVER THE PANHANDLE OF
MARYLAND THIS EVENING.  AS THE TRACKS NORTHEAST... A WARM FRONT WILL
LIFT ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC REGION.  THIS WILL ALLOW UNSTABLE AIR TO
SPILL INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA AND INTO FAR
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE RISK AREA THIS
AFTERNOON THOUGH THIS EVENING AHEAD OF AN EASTWARD MOVING COLD
FRONT.  AS COLDER AIR ALOFT AND A STRONG JET STREAM ARRIVE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.

THE MAIN THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BE DAMAGING WINDS.  THE DANGER WILL
BE HEIGHTENED BY THE RECENT AND EXPECTED RAINFALL.  TREES AND POORLY
SECURED STRUCTURES WILL BE TOPPLED MORE EASILY BECAUSE OF THE SOFT
GROUND.  LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

DESROSIERS/KOSTURA
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 3:24 PM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
NCZ005-006-VAZ044-058-059-200115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
324 PM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 9 PM FOR THE
  FOLLOWING COUNTIES
    IN VIRGINIA:
    CHARLOTTE...PITTSYLVANIA...AND HALIFAX

    IN NORTH CAROLINA
     ROCKINGHAM AND CASWELL

 A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING INTO A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS.

REMEMBER... A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN
AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS... AND
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL MAY ALSO OCCUR. BE READY TO SEEK A PLACE OF
SAFETY IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

KK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 7:30 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKTazewell4 hr
Apr 19, 1:22 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKPulaski4 hr
Apr 19, 1:33 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKPulaski4 hr
Apr 19, 3:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKFloyd, Montgomery, City of Radford3 hr
Apr 19, 3:29 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKWythe3 hr
Apr 19, 4:10 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, Patrick3 hr
Apr 19, 5:15 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKRockbridge, City of Buena Vista3 hr
Apr 19, 5:15 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCity of Lexington3 hr
Apr 19, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCharlotte37 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.