Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 200

April 9, 19987 counties in Maryland; 29 counties in North Carolina; 72 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 9, 1998, 1:45 PM EDT for 7 counties in Maryland; 29 counties in North Carolina; 72 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 9, 1998, 1:45 PM EDT (17:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 9, 1998, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 108 counties

Calvert County, MD, Charles County, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Wicomico County, MD, Worcester County, MD, Alamance County, NC, Bertie County, NC, Camden County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Durham County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Gates County, NC, Granville County, NC, Guilford County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Martin County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Orange County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Person County, NC, Randolph County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Vance County, NC, Wake County, NC, Warren County, NC, Washington County, NC, Wilson County, NC, Accomack County, VA, Albemarle County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Lynchburg, 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, Culpeper County, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greene County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King George County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Madison County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, Nelson County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Orange County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA

Warnings issued inside it

24 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 9, 1:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville32 min
Apr 9, 2:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHVance32 min
Apr 9, 2:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQChesterfield, City of Richmond35 min
Apr 9, 2:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQHanover, King William35 min
Apr 9, 2:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQHenrico, New Kent32 min
Apr 9, 2:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax35 min
Apr 9, 2:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQKing and Queen17 min
Apr 9, 2:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQNorthampton35 min
Apr 9, 3:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQLancaster, Richmond33 min
Apr 9, 3:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQEssex, Middlesex33 min
Apr 9, 3:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQNorthumberland18 min
Apr 9, 3:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Suffolk32 min
Apr 9, 3:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQYork21 min
Apr 9, 3:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQGloucester21 min
Apr 9, 3:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth37 min
Apr 9, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQMathews19 min
Apr 9, 4:14 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach36 min
Apr 9, 4:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQAccomack, Northampton33 min
Apr 9, 4:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQWorcester16 min
Apr 9, 6:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQSurry19 min
Apr 9, 6:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQIsle of Wight17 min
Apr 9, 6:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Newport News33 min
Apr 9, 7:04 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth31 min
Apr 9, 7:04 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Suffolk31 min

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 146 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 1998-04-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 105 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1998-04-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 268 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
105 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
535 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
96 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
279 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

169 
WWUS9 KMKC 091716
SEL0  
MKC WW 091716
VAZ000-NCZ000-MDZ000-100000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 200
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
116 PM EDT THU APR 9 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA                           
   NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA                     
   SOUTHERN MARYLAND                           
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 145 PM UNTIL 800
PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 110 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKY MOUNT NORTH CAROLINA TO
20 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF PATUXENT RIVER MARYLAND.

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.


DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELPING ALONG AND AHEAD OF COLD
FRONT MOVING EAST OF THE APPALACHIANS. VERY STRONG MID LEVEL WINDS
AND DRY INTRUSION WILL FAVOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HAIL. LOW
LEVEL SHEAR NEAR E-W WARM FRONT MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR AN ISOLATED
TORNADO OR TWO.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...VESCIO

353,0801 383,0783 383,0743 353,0761

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 9, 4:00 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender, Robeson6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Virginia, 1998Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 1998Tornado Watches in Maryland, 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.