Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 89, NWS Baltimore/Washington

May 19, 2000Albemarle County, Orange County, Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 2000, 2:57 PM EDT for Albemarle County, Orange County, Virginia. It was in force for 33 min. 3 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
May 19, 2000, 2:57 PM EDT (18:57 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 2000, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties Albemarle County, VA, Orange County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:00 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 19, 2:59 PM EDTThunderstorm WindFarmington, VATrees were downed onto Old Ivy Road.
May 19, 3:10 PM EDTHail 1.5Barboursville, VASilver dollar sized hail fell.
May 19, 3:20 PM EDTHail 0.75Southwest Portion, VADime sized hail fell on Hardwick Mountain.

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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 119 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2000-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 86 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2000-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 157 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
86 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-250 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1351 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
157 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
159 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.

698 
WUUS51 KLWX 191858
SVRWBC
VAC003-137-191930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
257 PM EDT FRI MAY 19 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ALBEMARLE COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  ORANGE COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT

* AT 257 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM  2 MILES WEST OF BARBOURSVILLE...OR ABOUT 12
  MILES NORTHEAST OF CHARLOTTESVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
   OLD SOMERSET AT 304 PM EDT
   GORDONSVILLE AT 306 PM EDT
   MADISON RUN AT 310 PM EDT
   ORANGE AT 312 PM EDT
   LAHORE...THORNHILL AT 322 PM EDT

SEEK SAFETY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...DO NOT
STAND UNDERNEATH TREES OR OTHER ISOLATED OBJECTS. DO NOT DRIVE INTO
AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

AS THE STORM APPROACHES MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. TUNE INTO NOAA
WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST
WEATHER INFORMATION.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FRIDAY
EVENING FOR WESTERN VIRGINIA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO
REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN
VIRGINIA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL
800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHERN MARYLAND AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

.END/SMZ/BMW/DMW

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 19, 9:15 AM EDT, 5 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 19, 9:15 AM EDT, 5 hours 42 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
915 AM EDT FRI MAY 19 2000

LN OF SHRA/TSRA STRETCHING FM SRN PA ACRS WVA ATTM. WNDSHFT TO N HAS
PROGRESSED SWD ACRS NRN VA...BUT VWP/SNDG INDCTS ONLY 1-2K FT IN
DEPTH. COOLER...DRIER AIR STL IN PA...AND BLV THAT/S WHR TRUE FRONT
STILL IS. WVA ACTVTY ASSOC W/ S/WV...WHICH WL CRS FA MIDDAY. H8 35
KT JET WL ENTER WRN FA TAFTN...AND H25 JET STILL BACK A LTL FRTHR W.
GVN GOOD INSTAB /LI -4 TO -6 AND B+ 2000-3000 AT 12Z/ AND FOCUSSING
MECHANISM...FORSEE A BUMPY DAY AHD. QSTN WL BE SVR THREAT.
PERSISTENT SHRA ACRS NRN MD MAY KEEP ATMOS MARGINALLY STBL TDA.
HWVR...VORT IN SRN MD TAFTN...AND JET IN SW FA INVOF CHO WL MEAN
THREAT HGTND IN THOSE TWO AREAS...ESP SINCE BOTH AREAS HV AT LST
PRTL SUN ATTM...AND ARE ON EDGE OF BAROCLINIC ZN.

THUS...WL RAISE POPS EVRYWHR TDA...AND WL BEEF UP SVR WRDG ACRS THE
S. WL MAKE OTR LESSER TWEAKS FOR 1ST PD. MAY MAKE APPRO ADJUSTMENTS
2ND-3RD PDS AS WELL.

.LWX...NONE.

HTS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 2:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAlbemarle, Augusta, Greene, Rockingham38 min
May 19, 2:40 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXGreene35 min
May 19, 3:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAlbemarle, City of Charlottesville44 min
May 19, 3:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAugusta, Nelson, City of Waynesboro44 min
May 19, 3:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXSpotsylvania24 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2000Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2000

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.