Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Baltimore/Washington

June 22, 2001Clarke County, Warren County, Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Jun 22, 2001, 4:08 PM EDT for Clarke County, Warren County, Virginia. It was in force for 37 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 22, 2001, 4:08 PM EDT (20:08 UTC)
Expired
Jun 22, 2001, 4:45 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clarke County, VA, Warren County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:08 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 22, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 61 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 2001-06-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 933 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 2001-06-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
933 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KLWX 222008
TORLWX
VAC043-187-222045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
408 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CLARKE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA
  WARREN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 445 PM EDT

* AT 403 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 5 MILES NORTH OF FRONT ROYAL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  5 MILES SOUTH OF BERRYVILLE AT 446 PM

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAIL%ABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jun 22, 3:40 PM EDT, 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 22, 3:40 PM EDT, 28 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
340 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 2001

AT 18Z...SEVERAL TSTMS MAINLY BLUE RIDGE W PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL...HAIL...AND POSSIBLY STRONG WINDS.  STORMS SEEM TO
REDEVELOP OVER SAME AREAS WHICH ADDS TO FLOODING THREAT. TSTMS AND
SHRA WILL CONTINUE THROUGH NIGHT DUE TO APPROACHING FRONTAL
BDRY...STRONG UL DIVERGENCE...PLENTY OF VVEL AT 700 AND 500MB IN
ADDITION TO 850MB LOW MOVING OVHD.  WILL HAVE 80 POPS CWA WIDE. WILL
ALSO CONTINUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 4 AM FOR BLUE RIDGE W AND CHO
AREA. EXPECT HAIL/WIND THREAT TO DIMINISH A FEW HOURS AFT SUNSET DUE
TO LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING BUT HVY RAIN WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO BE
A PROBLEM BECAUSE PRECIP H20 VALUES REMAIN AROUND 1.75 IN. MOST CWA
UNDER SVR TSTM WATCH THRU 7PM.

FRONT REACHES NW CWA BY MIDDAY BUT DOESNT REACH FAR SE CWA UNTIL
SUN MORNING. RELATIVELY DRIER AIR WILL COME IN BEHIND FRONT AND SHUD
GIVE US A RAIN FREE PERIOD FROM W TO E SUN MORN THRU MON AFT. UL LOW
CUTS OFF OVER SE US AND RETROGRADES A BIT MON INTO TUE. THIS TURNS
WINDS E FOR A TIME MON AND BRINGS IN SOME RH OFF THE WATER AND ALSO
SPINS SOME WEAK IMPULSES FROM S TO N THRU CWA. THIS WILL GIVE ATMOS
SOME RH AND LIFT TO WORK WITH...ESPECIALLY MON AFT...TO CREATE
WIDELY SCT SHRA/-TSRA. ATMOS WONT CHANGE SIG TUE SO WILL KEEP 30
POP FOR AFT CONVECTION IN FCST. HI PRES OVER THE OCEAN STARTS TO
INFLUENCE MID ATLANTIC WEATHER WED THRU FRI SO WILL FCST DRY COND.

REGARDING TEMPS...THOUGHT FWC LOW TEMPS WERE TOO COLD NEXT FEW NIGHT
DUE TO ELEVATED DEW PTS. STAYED NEAR GUIDANCE REST OF FCST.

FCSTID = 36
DCA   70  80  65  82 /  80  70  50  30
BWI   70  80  65  82 /  80  70  50  30
MRB   68  77  64  83 /  80  60  40  20
IAD   69  79  62  82 /  80  70  50  30
CHO   69  79  65  81 /  80  70  50  30
HGR   66  75  63  80 /  80  60  40  20
NHK   71  80  68  81 /  80  70  50  30

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 400 AM FOR ZONES MDZ002>003.

VA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 400 AM FOR ZONES VAZ021...VAZ025>031...
VAZ036>040...VAZ050>051.

WV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 400 AM FOR ZONES WVZ048>055.

MMARGRAF

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 22, 11:25 AM EDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042-
050>057-WVZ048>055-222100-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
1125 AM EDT FRI JUN 22 2001

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING ACROSS THE EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE...NORTHERN
VIRGINIA...THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY...MUCH OF MARYLAND WEST OF THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR COMBINED WITH A COLD FRONT APPROACHING
FROM THE WEST WILL RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD
CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND HAIL UP TO AN INCH IN
DIAMETER. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THUNDERSTORMS MAY RESULT
IN LOCALIZED FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS PRODUCE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND CAN
CAUSE SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS TO OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS.

REMEMBER...ALL THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LIGHTNING. LIGHTNING CAN OCCUR
WITHOUT WARNING WELL IN ADVANCE OF RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH A
THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR UPDATES ON
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT AND POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

MMARGRAF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 8:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXShenandoah65 min
Jun 22, 12:15 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXOrange2 hr
Jun 22, 1:23 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXFrederick3 hr
Jun 22, 1:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXWarren51 min
Jun 22, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick, City of Winchester45 min
Jun 22, 4:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXFrederick, City of Winchester3 hr
Jun 22, 4:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCulpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock55 min
Jun 22, 4:23 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXShenandoah, Warren3 hr
Jun 22, 4:40 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXNelson3 hr
Jun 22, 5:34 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXLoudoun116 min
Jun 22, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXLoudoun57 min
Jun 22, 6:09 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXRockingham3 hr
Jun 22, 7:22 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXShenandoah3 hr
Jun 22, 7:24 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXLoudoun3 hr
Jun 22, 7:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXPrince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park59 min
Jun 22, 7:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFauquier59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2001Every tornado warning in 2001Tornadoes in 2001

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.