Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Baltimore/Washington

April 28, 20024 counties in Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 2002, 6:13 PM EDT for 4 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 32 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 28, 2002, 6:13 PM EDT (22:13 UTC)
Expired: Apr 28, 2002, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties City of Manassas, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Prince William County, VA

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 28, 6:30 PM EDT	Hail 1	Woodbridge, VA	Quarter sized hail was reported.
Apr 28, 6:35 PM EDT	Hail 1.75	Dale City, VA	Golfball sized hail caused property damage.
Apr 28, 6:35 PM EDT	Hail 1	Manassas, VA	Quarter 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 28, 3:30 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 203 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 23 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 468 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 394 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 418 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

359 
WFUS51 KLWX 282213
TORLWX
VAC059-061-153-683-282245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
612 PM EDT SUN APR 28 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CITY OF MANASSAS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
  SOUTHERN FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
  EASTERN FAUQUIER COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
  PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 610 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VINT HILL FARMS STATION...MOVING EAST
  AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  6 MILES SOUTH OF MANASSAS AT 625 PM
  NEAR DALE CITY AT 635 PM
  3 MILES SOUTH OF LAKE RIDGE AT 637 PM
  NEAR WOODBRIDGE AT 640 PM
  6 MILES SOUTH OF NEWINGTON AT 645 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 3876 7774 3858 7772 3857 7722 3874 7717

JA/ND

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 28, 8:23 AM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Highland	3 hr
Apr 28, 4:38 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Rockingham, Shenandoah	22 min
Apr 28, 4:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah	46 min
Apr 28, 5:48 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Culpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock	27 min
Apr 28, 6:02 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		58 min
Apr 28, 6:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Fairfax, Prince William	42 min
Apr 28, 7:05 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		85 min

Nearby

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