Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 65, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 9, 2002Henry County, City of Martinsville, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 2002, 6:16 PM EDT for Henry County, City of Martinsville, Virginia. It was in force for 44 min. 1 report 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
May 9, 2002, 6:16 PM EDT (22:16 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2002, 7:00 PM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties City of Martinsville, VA, Henry County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:18 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
May 9, 6:30 PM EDTThunderstorm WindRidgeway, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 9, 2:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr
May 9, 6:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 68 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 450 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 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
450 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
977 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS51 KRNK 092216
SVRRNK
VAC089-690-092300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
616 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN HENRY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  MARTINSVILLE CITY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 700 PM EDT.

* AT 616 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF RIDGEWAY...MOVING
  SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS THREATENED THROUGH 700 PM EDT INCLUDE
  RIDGEWAY...
  AXTON...

<<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.

$$

08

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 10:40 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville110 min
May 8, 11:39 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKPittsylvania, City of Danville3 hr

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.