Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 87, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 8, 1998Pittsylvania County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 8, 1998, 2:32 PM EDT for Pittsylvania County, Virginia. It was in force for 48 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: May 8, 1998, 2:32 PM EDT (18:32 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 1998, 3:20 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Whole counties

County Pittsylvania County, VA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 8, 2:50 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Blairs, 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, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 43 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: 341 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 791 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 41 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

334 
WUUS01 KRNK 081833 RRA
SVRRNK
VAC143-081920-

BULLETIN--IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
232 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 320 PM EDT.

* AT 231 PM EDT... BLACKSBURG DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTH OF DANVILLE OR 5 MILES WEST NORTHWEST
  OF KEELING MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO REACH...
  KEELING                         AROUND 245 PM EDT..

<< CALL TO ACTION >> SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY
IMMEDIATELY.

.END/MG

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 May 8, 9:35 AM EDT, 4 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 9:35 AM EDT, 4 hours 57 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
935 AM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

JUST GOT A REPORT OF GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHEAST SURRY COUNTY.
MORNING SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT WITH CURRENT TEMP OF 60 AND DWPT OF
55...THAT WE (BCB) HV A LI OF -4 WITH A CAPE JUST OVER 1000. FEEL
THERE IS A THREAT FOR SEVERE FOR NEXT SEVERAL HOURS INTO EARLY
AFTERNOON...MAINLY ALONG AND E OF THE MOUNTAINS AS THE COLD FRONT
CURRENTLY IN THE MOUNTAINS MOVS E.

FCST OFFICES...DO WANT YOU WANT FOR THIS AFTN...HV HAD LITTLE TIME
TO LOOK AT ANYTHING.

MTE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 8, 12:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT..CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1205 AM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

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

1155 AM    SAXE                      NC   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/98   CHARLOTTE                      REPORTED BY THE
                                          PUBLIC.

1200 PM    RANDOLPH                  NC   0.88 INCH HAIL
05/08/98   CHARLOTTE             >         REPORTED BY THE
                                          PUBLIC.
WILF

Local storm report, May 8, 12:36 PM EDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1225 AM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

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

1155 AM    SAXE                      NC   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/98   CHARLOTTE                      REPORTED BY THE
                                          PUBLIC.

1200 PM    RANDOLPH                  NC   0.88 INCH HAIL
05/08/98   CHARLOTTE                      REBPORTED BY THE
                                          PUBLIC.
WILF

Local storm report, May 8, 1:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
0115 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

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

1230 PM    LONG ISLAND               VA   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/98   CAMPBELL                       REPORTED BY THE
                                          PUBLIC.

WILF

Local storm report, May 8, 1:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
0115 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

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

1230 PM    LONG ISLAND               VA   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/98   CAMPBELL                       REPORTED BY THE
                                          PUBLIC.

WILF

Local storm report, May 8, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
230 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

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

222 PM         BUCKIN>GHAM          VA     0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/98       BUCKINGHAM                 REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

WHITE

Local storm report, May 8, 2:30 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
230 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 1998

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

222 PM         BUCKIN>GHAM          VA     0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/98       BUCKINGHAM                 REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

WHITE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 7, 8:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Grayson, Smyth	49 min
May 7, 9:25 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Halifax, Pittsylvania	2 hr
May 7, 9:25 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	City of Danville	2 hr
May 7, 10:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Smyth	52 min
May 7, 11:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Smyth	34 min
May 8, 1:23 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Patrick	32 min
May 8, 3:13 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Halifax	47 min
May 8, 4:22 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Patrick	53 min
May 8, 6:14 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Pulaski	31 min
May 8, 10:34 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Pittsylvania, City of Danville	66 min
May 8, 11:24 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Halifax	61 min
May 8, 11:44 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Charlotte	51 min
May 8, 12:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Campbell	49 min
May 8, 1:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Amherst	34 min
May 8, 2:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Buckingham	48 min
May 8, 3:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Halifax	35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 1998 Every 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.