Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 206, NWS Blacksburg, VA

July 5, 2002Bedford County, Franklin County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 5, 2002, 3:57 PM EDT for Bedford County, Franklin County, Virginia. It was in force for 48 min. 4 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: Jul 5, 2002, 3:57 PM EDT (19:57 UTC)
Expired: Jul 5, 2002, 4:45 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Bedford County, VA, Franklin County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:01 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
Jul 5, 4:15 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Hardy, VA
Jul 5, 4:15 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Moneta, VA
Jul 5, 4:20 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Moneta, VA
Jul 5, 4:30 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Forest, VA

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
Jul 5, 2:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 19 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: 1258 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -82 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1019 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 44 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.

998 
WUUS51 KRNK 051957
SVRRNK
VAC019-067-052045-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
357 PM EDT FRI JUL 5 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWEST BEDFORD COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA   
  NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 445 PM EDT.

* AT 355 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF MONETA...MOVING SOUTH AT 15
  MPH.

HAIL UP TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED THROUGH 445 PM EDT INCLUDE
  MONETA...
  BURNT CHIMNEY...

<<CALL TO ACTION>>IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE
A STURDY SHELTER.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN.

RELAY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

$$

02

LAT...LON 3726 7963 3725 7985 3699 8000 3698 7965

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 5, 3:20 PM EDT, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 5, 3:20 PM EDT, 37 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
320 PM EDT FRI JUL 5 2002

HAVE ALREADY HAD ONE SEVERE REPORT IN FRANKLIN COUNTY WITH NICKEL
SIZE HAIL AND 55 TO 60 MPH WINDS. BASED ON MSAS ANALYSIS AND RADAR
COULD PROBABLY LEAVE NRN/NW FA RAIN FREE.

SHORT RANGE...

ONCE WE GET THROUGH THE FRONTAL CONVECTION THIS EVENING...WE SHOULD
SEE SOME QUIET AND LESS HUMID WEATHER FOR A CHANGE THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. TIMING OF ENDING PCPN TONIGHT AROUND 06Z...AS MAIN FORCING
SHOULD BE SOUTH OF THE CWA. OF COURSE...THE HIGHEST POPS WILL BE IN
THE SRN FA FOR EARLY EVENING...AND DEPENDING ON RADAR COVERAGE COULD
HAVE LOW TO NO CHANCE IN THE NORTH.

HI PRS SLIDES INTO THE OH VLY SAT...RDGING SE INTO THE FA. THIS HIGH
SLIDES EAST THROUGH MONDAY...KEEPING US DRY.

EXTENDED...

LOOKS LIKE FRONT AND RETURN FLOW WILL BE A LITTLE SLOWER EARLY NEXT
WEEK...SO HAVE DROPPED MENTION OF PRECIP MONDAY...AND LIMITED IT TO
THE WEST ON TUESDAY. FRONT PASSES THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH ALL FA
SEEING CHANCE OF PCPN. BETWEEN SYSTEMS THU...WITH ANOTHER FRONT
APPROACHING LATE NEXT WEEK. FOR NOW...HAVE OPTED TO KEEP THU-FRI DRY
FOR NOW.

FCSTID = 5
ROA   64  86  59  87 /  30   0   0   0
LYH   63  85  59  86 /  30   0   0   0
DAN   67  87  62  88 /  50   0   0   0
BLF   59  81  52  82 /  30   0   0   0
LWB   54  78  50  81 /  20   0   0   0
BCB   59  82  54  83 /  30   0   0   0
TNB   61  81  54  81 /  50   0   0   0

.RNK...
NC...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 5, 9:57 AM EDT, 6 hours before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
957 AM EDT FRI JUL 5 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0640 PM    SANDY RIDGE               NC   WIND DAMAGE
07/02/02   STOKES                         LARGE TREES DOWN REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0815 PM    TAZEWELL                  VA   .75 INCH HAIL
07/04/02   TAZEWELL                        REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

JW

Special weather statement, Jul 5, 11:48 AM EDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before

NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-052000-
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1148 AM EDT FRI JUL 5 2002

THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY BECOME SEVERE.

A COLD FRONT FROM NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA...TO CENTRAL VIRGINIA...
WILL MOVE SOUTH INTO NORTH CAROLINA BY THIS EVENING.  THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON.
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME VERY UNSTABLE ...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE
BLUE RIDGE WHERE TEMPERATURES WILL REACH THE MID TO UPPER 90S.  THE
HOT TEMPERATURES...COMBINED WITH THE VERY HIGH HUMIDITY...WILL
INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG AND POSSIBLY SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS.  SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER VIRGINIA AND WEST
VIRGINIA BETWEEN NOON AND 3:00 PM...THEN MOVE SOUTH INTO
NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BY MID AFTERNOON.

PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FUTURE FORECAST
UPDATES...OR IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

11

Local storm report, Jul 5, 3:19 PM EDT, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
319 PM EDT FRI JUL 05 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

315 PM     5E BOONES MILL            VA   0.88 INCH HAIL
07/05/02   FRANKLIN                       REPORTED BY SPOTTER

Local storm report, Jul 5, 3:36 PM EDT, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
336 PM EDT FRI JUL 05 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0334 PM    BOONES MILL               VA   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/05/02   FRANKLIN                       REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC

Local storm report, Jul 5, 3:47 PM EDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
347 PM EDT FRI JUL 05 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0342 PM    5S ROANOKE                VA   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/05/02   ROANOKE                        REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 4, 11:28 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Rockbridge, City of Lexington	3 hr
Jul 5, 3:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Franklin	48 min
Jul 5, 3:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Roanoke, City of Roanoke	29 min
Jul 5, 4:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Campbell, City of Lynchburg	34 min
Jul 5, 5:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Halifax	50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2002 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.