Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 34, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 1, 2002Ashe County, Watauga County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 1, 2002, 11:14 PM EDT for Ashe County, Watauga County, North Carolina. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 2002, 11:14 PM EDT (03:14 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2002, 12:00 AM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ashe County, NC, Watauga County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 141 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:17 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 155 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2002-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 292 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2002-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
292 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-148 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1208 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KRNK 020314
SVRRNK
NCC009-189-020400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1112 PM EDT WED MAY 1 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ASHE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN WATAUGA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT.

* AT 1112 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES WEST OF ASHLAND...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
  55 MPH.

HAIL UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.

SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED THROUGH MIDNIGHT EDT INCLUDE
  ASHLAND...
  LANSING...
  TODD...
  DEEP GAP...
  GLENDALE SPRINGS...

<<CALL TO ACTION>>SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. PREPARE TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN
A STURDY STRUCTURE SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED.

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

$$

11

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 May 1, 8:34 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 8:34 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG, VA
830 PM EDT MAY 1 2002

STRONGEST CELLS IN LEADING MCS OVER ERN KY SHOULD REMAIN ON ITS SRN
EDGE. SVR WX SHOULD STAY SW OF THE FA.  THE OVERALL MVMNT OF THE MCS
SHOULD REMAIN ESE...CLOSE TO THE STNRY/WRM FNT. CORFIDI VECTORS FROM
THE 18Z MODELS SUPPORT THIS MVMNT. MORE TSRA ARE DEVELOPING BEHIND
THIS INTIAL MCS IN SE IN AND NRN KY AND IT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THIS
ACTIVITY WILL BE MOVG ACROSS THE CWA LATER TONITE. WILL RAISE POPS
ALL ZONES- CATEG MTNS TO LIKELY FOR THE BLUE RIDGE AND
EASTWARD...MAY KEEP SOME OF THE PIEDMONT CHC. DON/T SEE MUCH CHC OF
TSTMS IN NERN SECTIONS LIKE ARND LYH...BUT WILL NOT TAKE IT OUT
SINCE IT IS ALREADY IN THE FCST. UPDATE WILL BE OUT SHORTLY SINCE
TSRA ARE ON OUR DOORSTEP.

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

JJ

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 1, 10:34 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
NCZ001-002-018-019-020400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1034 PM EDT WED MAY 1 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHWESTERN
NORTH CAROLINA...

AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING ACROSS FAR SOUTHWESTERN
VIRGINIA...AND THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF TENNESSEE.  THE STORMS
SHOULD REACH NORTH CAROLINA BETWEEN 11 AND 11:30 PM.  HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...AND HAIL...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

BS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 11:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKWilkes41 min
May 2, 7:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKRockingham45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.