Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 1998
Tornado Watch 103
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 9, 1998, 3:45 AM EST for 42 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 9, 1998, 3:45 AM EST (08:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 9, 1998, 10:00 AM EST
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 42 counties
Accomack County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, York County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:46 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 nearest sounding before it
Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 181 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
- 145 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -303 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 425 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 148 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 150 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
223 WWUS9 KMKC 090817 SEL3 MKC WW 090817 VAZ000-091500- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 103 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 317 AM EST MON MAR 9 1998 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY MORNING FROM 345 AM UNTIL 1000 AM EST. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF NORFOLK VIRGINIA TO 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF RICHMOND VIRGINIA. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 101...WW 102... DISCUSSION...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH CAROLINA BUILDING NORTHWARD INTO WATCH AREA ALONG WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY. WHILE INSTABILITY IS WEAK...VERY STRONG WIND SHEAR PRESENT WITH 80 KT MID LEVEL FLOW. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22040. ...ROGASH 363,0780 374,0780 374,0754 363,0754
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Virginia, 1998Every tornado watch 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.