Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 210
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 2, 2002, 2:45 PM EDT for Saint Mary's County, Somerset County, Maryland; 56 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 2, 2002, 2:45 PM EDT (18:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2002, 9:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 58 counties
Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Accomack County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King George County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Orange County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:48 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
28 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 3:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Cumberland, Nottoway, Prince Edward | 31 min |
| May 2, 3:37 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 38 min |
| May 2, 3:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Amelia, Nottoway | 15 min |
| May 2, 3:49 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 31 min |
| May 2, 3:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | King George, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg | 26 min |
| May 2, 4:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Amelia, Dinwiddie | 20 min |
| May 2, 4:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Prince George, Sussex, City of Colonial Heights, City of Petersburg | 30 min |
| May 2, 4:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Brunswick, Mecklenburg | 40 min |
| May 2, 4:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Charles City | 21 min |
| May 2, 4:36 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Charles City, Prince George | 19 min |
| May 2, 4:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Greensville, Surry, City of Emporia | 20 min |
| May 2, 4:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Gloucester, James City, York, City of Williamsburg | 29 min |
| May 2, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Southampton | 30 min |
| May 2, 5:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Isle of Wight | 41 min |
| May 2, 5:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Hampton, City of Newport News, City of Poquoson | 15 min |
| May 2, 5:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Northampton | 20 min |
| May 2, 5:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 40 min |
| May 2, 5:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Chesapeake, City of Portsmouth | 15 min |
| May 2, 5:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach | 32 min |
| May 2, 6:09 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Brunswick, Mecklenburg | 31 min |
| May 2, 6:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Brunswick, Greensville | 28 min |
| May 2, 7:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Southampton | 39 min |
| May 2, 7:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Brunswick | 19 min |
| May 2, 7:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Greensville, City of Emporia | 29 min |
| May 2, 8:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Southampton, City of Franklin | 20 min |
| May 2, 8:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Isle of Wight, City of Franklin, City of Suffolk | 29 min |
| May 2, 8:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 32 min |
| May 2, 8:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach | 31 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 185 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
- 12 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -90 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 540 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 82 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 408 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 464 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 021843 SEL0 SPC WW 021838 MDZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-030100- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 210 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 238 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN SHORE MARYLAND CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VIRGINIA COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 245 PM UNTIL 900 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES SOUTH OF RICHMOND VIRGINIA TO 15 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF PATUXENT RIVER MARYLAND. 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...WW 209... DISCUSSION...STORMS APPEAR TO BE ORGANIZING INTO A LINE MOVING OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WRN VA ATTM. EXTREME INSTABILITY AND STRONG SHEAR WILL SUPPORT AN ENHANCED THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS... INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES...AS STORMS SHIFT ESEWD THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040. ...EVANS 363,0783 382,0780 382,0751 363,0755 WWUS20 KWNS 021843 SEL0 SPC WW 021838 MDZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-030100- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 210 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 238 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN SHORE MARYLAND CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VIRGINIA COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 245 PM UNTIL 900 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES SOUTH OF RICHMOND VIRGINIA TO 15 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF PATUXENT RIVER MARYLAND. 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...WW 209... DISCUSSION...STORMS APPEAR TO BE ORGANIZING INTO A LINE MOVING OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WRN VA ATTM. EXTREME INSTABILITY AND STRONG SHEAR WILL SUPPORT AN ENHANCED THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS... INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES...AS STORMS SHIFT ESEWD THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040. ...EVANS 363,0783 382,0780 382,0751 363,0755
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2:30 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Frederick and 7 more | 7 hr |
| May 2, 3:30 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and 1 more | 6 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 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.