Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 209
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 2, 2002, 2:30 PM EDT for 4 states. It was in force for 7 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 2, 2002, 2:30 PM EDT (18:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2002, 9:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 7 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 67 counties
Allegany County, MD, Anne Arundel County, MD, Baltimore County, MD, Carroll County, MD, Charles County, MD, City of Baltimore, MD, Frederick County, MD, Garrett County, MD, Harford County, MD, Howard County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Washington County, MD, Adams County, PA, Bedford County, PA, Berks County, PA, Blair County, PA, Cambria County, PA, Cumberland County, PA, Dauphin County, PA, Franklin County, PA, Fulton County, PA, Huntingdon County, PA, Juniata County, PA, Lancaster County, PA, Lebanon County, PA, Lehigh County, PA, Mifflin County, PA, Northampton County, PA, Northumberland County, PA, Perry County, PA, Schuylkill County, PA, Snyder County, PA, Somerset County, PA, York County, PA, Arlington County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Winchester, VA, Clarke County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Frederick County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Madison County, VA, Page County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Warren County, VA, Berkeley County, WV, Grant County, WV, Hampshire County, WV, Hardy County, WV, Jefferson County, WV, Mineral County, WV, Morgan County, WV, Pendleton County, WV, Randolph County, WV, Tucker County, WV
The radar
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:30 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.
Warnings issued inside it
13 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 3:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Fairfax, Loudoun | 35 min |
| May 2, 3:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Northumberland, Union | 60 min |
| May 2, 3:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Montgomery | 50 min |
| May 2, 3:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Howard | 46 min |
| May 2, 3:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Adams | 61 min |
| May 2, 3:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | King George, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg | 26 min |
| May 2, 4:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Baltimore, City of Baltimore | 40 min |
| May 2, 4:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | York | 60 min |
| May 2, 4:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Harford | 38 min |
| May 2, 4:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 64 min |
| May 2, 4:56 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CTP | York | 19 min |
| May 2, 5:15 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Harford | 30 min |
| May 2, 7:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CTP | Lancaster | 42 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 199 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 406 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -33 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 601 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 275 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 305 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 021827 SEL9 SPC WW 021823 DCZ000-MDZ000-PAZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-030100- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 209 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 223 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WESTERN AND CENTRAL MARYLAND SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA NORTHERN VIRGINIA PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL 900 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 75 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MARTINSBURG WEST VIRGINIA TO 45 MILES NORTH OF HARRISBURG PENNSYLVANIA. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 207...WW 208... DISCUSSION...CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS WW. STRONG INSTABILITY AND ENHANCED LOW LEVEL SHEAR WILL ENHANCE THE THREAT OF SUPERCELLS INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES AND SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040. ...EVANS 382,0801 405,0783 405,0750 382,0765 WWUS20 KWNS 021827 SEL9 SPC WW 021823 DCZ000-MDZ000-PAZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-030100- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 209 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 223 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WESTERN AND CENTRAL MARYLAND SOUTHERN PENNSYLVANIA NORTHERN VIRGINIA PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL 900 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 75 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MARTINSBURG WEST VIRGINIA TO 45 MILES NORTH OF HARRISBURG PENNSYLVANIA. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 207...WW 208... DISCUSSION...CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS WW. STRONG INSTABILITY AND ENHANCED LOW LEVEL SHEAR WILL ENHANCE THE THREAT OF SUPERCELLS INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES AND SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040. ...EVANS 382,0801 405,0783 405,0750 382,0765
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2:45 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Saint Mary's, Somerset | 6 hr |
| May 2, 3:30 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and 1 more | 6 hr |
| May 2, 4:30 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Fayette, Greene, Washington | 4 hr |
| May 1, 9:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth and 5 more | 4 hr |
| May 1, 11:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Grayson | 4 hr |
| May 2, 9:45 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Wise and 2 more | 4 hr |
| May 2, 12:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath and 45 more | 5 hr |
| May 2, 1:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth and 5 more | 7 hr |
| May 2, 4:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Mecklenburg | 5 hr |
| May 2, 4:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Appomattox, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Campbell, Carroll and 21 more | 6 hr |
| May 2, 5:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Appomattox, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Campbell, Carroll and 21 more | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Pennsylvania, 2002Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2002Tornado Watches in Maryland, 2002Every tornado watch 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.