Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 242, NWS Blacksburg, VA

September 15, 2002Charlotte County, Halifax County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 15, 2002, 7:05 PM EDT for Charlotte County, Halifax County, Virginia. It was in force for 25 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
Sep 15, 2002, 7:05 PM EDT (23:05 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 2002, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Charlotte County, VA, Halifax County, VA

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 15, 7:10 PM EDTThunderstorm WindScottsburg, VA
Sep 15, 7:20 PM EDTThunderstorm WindRed Oak, 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, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 2002-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 92 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 2002-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 101 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
92 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
602 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Sep 15, 3:15 PM EDT, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 15, 3:15 PM EDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
315 PM EDT SUN SEP 15 2002

THE COMBINATION OF A COLD FRONT TO OUR WEST AND THE REMNANTS OF
HANNA TO THE SOUTH ARE PRODUCING PERIODS OF RAIN ACRS THE FA.
THERE WERE BREAKS IN THE PCPN ESPECIALLY ACRS WESTERN PORTIONS
OF FA THIS AFTERNOON. AS A PAIR OF SHORTWAVES ACTED AS FOCUS FOR
RAIN AXIS. REVIEW OF REGIONAL WSR-88D IMAGES DISPLAYED RAIN TO
SOUTH ADVANCING TOWARDS RGN AND RAIN IN OHIO VALLEY SPREADING EAST
INTO WV. BELIEVE SIG RAIN IS ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE TONIGHT...BUT NO
WIDESPREAD FLOOD THREAT EXPECTED. ELECTED TO ADJUST POPS TONIGHT
WITH A GRADIENT HIGHER TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. WILL MENTION
RAIN HEAVY AT TIME EAST OF THE MTNS...DUE TO POSBL UPSLOPE
ENHANCEMENT. ON MONDAY...FRONT IN THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY WILL PUSH
SOUTH INTO FA. I WILL CONTINUE THE SCT CHC OF PCPN ON MONDAY. FRONT
STALLS TO OUR S MONDAY NIGHT AND TUE. I RAISED TEMPS FOR MONDAY AND
TUESDAY.

IN THE EXTENDED PERIODS...MID SHIFT ADDED POPS IN THE SW COUNTIES
WED WITH NEXT JET STREAK AND RETURN OF MOISTURE. THIS AM CANADIAN
AND MRF SOLUTION SUPPORTS THE IDEA OF LIGHT PCPN. ON THU...CONTINUE
CHC IN WESTERN PORTION OF FA. WILL KEEP MENTION OF CHC OF SHWRS AND
THUNDERSTORMS FOR FRI AND SAT. DRY WEATHER ANTICIPATED ON SUNDAY. A
FEW OF THE ADJUSTMENTS MADE IN THE EXTENDED PERIODS: RAISED CLOUD
COVER TUES NITE...ADDED LIGHT POPS THU TO WEST AND RAISED MINS
FRIDAY.  BLENDED FORECAST VIA EASTERN ISC GROUP. ZONES WILL BE OUT
BY 400 PM. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.

FCSTID =    7
PRELIM NUMBERS
ROA   64  80  60  80 /  60  30  10  10
LYH   63  80  59  80 /  60  30  10  10
DAN   66  83  63  81 /  60  30  10  10
BLF   59  76  54  76 /  50  30  10  10
LWB   57  75  53  76 /  50  30  10  10
BCB   60  77  56  77 /  50  30  10  10
TNB   57  74  55  74 /  60  30  10  10

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 15, 5:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCaswell29 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.