Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 232, NWS Blacksburg, VA

August 24, 2002Franklin County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 24, 2002, 2:52 PM EDT for Franklin County, Virginia. It was in force for 38 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
Aug 24, 2002, 2:52 PM EDT (18:52 UTC)
Expired
Aug 24, 2002, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

County Franklin County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:55 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
Aug 24, 3:05 PM EDTHail 0.75Sydnorsville, VA
Aug 24, 3:10 PM EDTThunderstorm WindGladehill, 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 nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 41 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 2002-08-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 668 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2002-08-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
668 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
797 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
40 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

070 
WUUS51 KRNK 241852
SVRRNK
VAC067-241930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
252 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT.

* AT 250 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST OF SYDNORSVILLE...MOVING SOUTHEAST
  AT 10 MPH.

HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED THROUGH 330 PM EDT INCLUDE
  FERRUM...
  SYDNORSVILLE...

<<CALL TO ACTION>>IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE
WEATHER IN A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY
RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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

$$

LAT...LON 3723 7978 3687 8012 3680 7978 3683 7967
          3704 7961

04

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 Aug 24, 11:12 AM EDT, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 11:12 AM EDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
11:12 AM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

SENT A MORNING UPDATE TO TWEAK TEMPS AND POPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

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

MG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 24, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCampbell41 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2002Every 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.