Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Baltimore/Washington

June 4, 2002Albemarle County, City of Charlottesville, Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Jun 4, 2002, 6:31 PM EDT for Albemarle County, City of Charlottesville, Virginia. It was in force for 44 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
Jun 4, 2002, 6:31 PM EDT (22:31 UTC)
Expired
Jun 4, 2002, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Whole counties

Counties Albemarle County, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 4, 7:00 PM EDTHail 1.75Crozet, VAGolf ball sized hail dented over 100 cars.
Jun 4, 7:15 PM EDTHail 4.5Free Union, VASolfball sized hail fell.

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

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 126 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 2002-06-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 503 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2002-06-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 41 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
503 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-98 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
867 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

835 
WFUS51 KLWX 042231
TORLWX
VAC003-540-042315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
630 PM EDT TUE JUN 4 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ALBEMARLE COUNTY IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 627 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER FREE UNION...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   FREE UNION AT 632 PM
   CHARLOTTESVILLE AT 652 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 AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

$$

LAT...LON 3825 7864 3811 7878 3785 7841 3803 7824

HTS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 4, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXRockingham, City of Harrisonburg37 min
Jun 4, 5:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAlbemarle, Augusta48 min
Jun 4, 6:01 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXAlbemarle, Augusta, Rockingham29 min
Jun 4, 6:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick, Shenandoah37 min
Jun 4, 7:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick, Shenandoah, Warren, City of Winchester44 min
Jun 4, 7:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAlbemarle, City of Charlottesville44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

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.