Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 1999
Tornado Warning 13, NWS Wakefield, VA
NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Aug 11, 1999, 5:04 PM EDT for Mathews County, Virginia. It was in force for 26 min. 2 reports 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
- Aug 11, 1999, 5:04 PM EDT (21:04 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 11, 1999, 5:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wakefield, VA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Mathews County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:05 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 5:10 PM EDT | Hail 1 | Mathews, VA | |
| Aug 11, 5:10 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Hudgins, VA | Tree down near intersection of Routes 223 and 198, blocking road. |
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
Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 96 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
- 1225 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -45 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 725 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 217 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 265 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.3
- Supercell composite
- 7.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KAKQ 112108 RRA TORAKQ VAC115-112135- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 504 PM EDT WED AUG 11 1999 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN MATHEWS COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA * UNTIL 530 PM EDT * AT 500 PM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO THE STORM IS NEAR MATHEWS NEAR ROUTE 14. ... MOVING SOUTH 15 MPH.. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR THE TOWN OF MOON BY 510 PM THEN NEW POINT COMFORT BY 520 PM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY! IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL \INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Aug 11, 3:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 11, 3:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
WAKEFIELD FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 325 PM EDT WED AUG 11 1999 RADAR NOW SHOWING FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS DEVLOPING OVER NORTHERN NECK AND NE NC. STRONG TSTRMS HAVE PERSISTED OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS OFF THE EASTERN SHORE ALL DAY. SOME DRIER AIR HAS MIXED DOWN OVER INLAND COUNTIES OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY...WITH SFC DEWPTS NOW IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. MOST UNSTABLE AIR WAS OVER NE NC AND ERN VA AND MD...WITH DEWPTS IN THE UPPER 70S. WITH DRIER AIR OVER WRN COUNTIES...CHCS NOW RELATVIELY SLIM THERE FOR ANY MAJOR DEVELOPMENT. WILL WAIT TIL LAST MINUTE TO LOOK AT RADAR TRENDS TO SEE IF 20 POP NEEDED OVER INLAND COUNTIES FOR WIDELY SCT ACTIVITY WITH LEE TROF. STILL CHANCE OF ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS OVER NE NC AND SE VA IN MOIST UNSTABLE AMS...ALONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FM OFFSHORE CONVECTION AND ALONG CU LINES/BOUNDARIES SHOWING UP ON VISIBLE IMAGERY. WL THEREFORE CONTINUE TO CARRY CHC POPS INTO THE EVENING OVER ERN SECTIONS. MODELS NOW STALLING OUT SFC TROF AND WASHING IT OUT OVER CENTRAL VA TONIGHT AND THU. THURS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN TODAY WXWISE WITH LITTLE OR NO AMS CHANGE. SLY WINDS PICK UP AGAIN BY FRI...WITH DEWPTS RISING INTO THE 70S EVERYWHERE...AND TEMPS IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S. FWC/S HAVE 79 DEWPTS AT ECG ON FRI. CAN SEE HEAT INDICES APPROACHING 105 AND COULD APPROACH HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA SRN ZONES BY FRI. DESPITE HIGH DEWPTS...LITTLE TO TRIGGER TSTRMS THU AND FRI AND WILL NOT MAKE ANY MENTION OF POPS BEYOND THIS EVENING. EXTENDED MODELS SUGGEST MORE SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVE TO MOVE OVER AREA SAT INTO SUN...SO COULD HAVE OUR BEST CHC OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS IN A WHILE OVER THE WEEKEND. CWF...BOUY 44009 CONTINUING TO SHOWING SCA THRESHOLDS MET FOR WINDS AND SEAS. WL KEEP FLAGS FOR NRN ATLC WATERS FOR THE EVENING. .AKQ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...ATCL COASTAL WATERS FM FENWICK ISLAND DE TO CAPE CHARLES LIGHT REILLY
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 11, 1:16 PM EDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
MDZ021>025-NCZ012>017-030>032-102-VAZ048-049-060>100-112100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 116 PM EDT WED AUG 11 1999 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA...THE DELMARVA PENINSULA AND NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO A MOIST UNSTABLE AIR MASS... WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ALTHOUGH MOST LOCATIONS WILL NOT SEE A THUNDERSTORM...THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...AND ISOLATED WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE BEST CHANCE FOR A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WOULD BE OVER NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA EAST OF INTERSTATE 95. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. REILLY
Special weather statement, Aug 11, 1:16 PM EDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
MDZ021>025-NCZ012>017-030>032-102-VAZ048-049-060>100-112100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 116 PM EDT WED AUG 11 1999 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA...THE DELMARVA PENINSULA AND NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO A MOIST UNSTABLE AIR MASS... WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ALTHOUGH MOST LOCATIONS WILL NOT SEE A THUNDERSTORM...THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...AND ISOLATED WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE BEST CHANCE FOR A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WOULD BE OVER NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA EAST OF INTERSTATE 95. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. REILLY
Local storm report, Aug 11, 5:00 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD, VA
500 PM EDT WED AUG 11 1999
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0435 PM CHESAPEAKE VA 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/11/99 CHESAPEAKE REPORTED IN THE GREENBRIER
SECTION OF CHESAPEAKE
0435 PM CHESAPEAKE VA WIND DAMAGE
08/11/99 CHESAPEAKE TREE FELL ON CAR IN
GREENBRIER SECTION OF
CHESAPEAKE
38The office that day
Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 4:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Chesapeake | 31 min |
| Aug 11, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mathews | 30 min |
| Aug 11, 6:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | King and Queen | 29 min |
| Aug 11, 6:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | James City | 32 min |
| Aug 11, 7:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | James City, York, City of Williamsburg | 31 min |
| Aug 11, 7:36 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | James City | 19 min |
| Aug 11, 7:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Surry | 33 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes in 1999
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.