Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Wakefield, VA

September 23, 2003Northumberland County, Richmond County, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Sep 23, 2003, 7:18 AM EDT for Northumberland County, Richmond County, Virginia. It was in force for 27 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 23, 2003, 7:18 AM EDT (11:18 UTC)
Expired
Sep 23, 2003, 7:45 AM EDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Northumberland County, VA, Richmond County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:19 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

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 89 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 2003-09-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 33 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 2003-09-23The 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
33 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
842 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KAKQ 231118
TORAKQ
VAC133-159-231145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
717 AM EDT TUE SEP 23 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RICHMOND COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 745 AM EDT

* AT 717 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER FARNHAM...OR ABOUT
  5 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROBLEY...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MIDDLETONS CORNER...AND HEATHSVILLE AROUND 725 AM EDT...
  HULL NECK...AND EDWARDSVILLE AROUND 730 AM EDT...
  OPHEILA AROUND 735 AM EDT...

TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.
VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR STURDIER SHELTER.

LAT...LON 3798 7674 3780 7669 3790 7594 3812 7599
$$

92

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 23, 6:01 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQChesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, City of Richmond29 min
Sep 23, 6:09 AM EDTTornado WarningAKQHanover, Henrico, City of Richmond31 min
Sep 23, 6:25 AM EDTTornado WarningAKQKing William30 min
Sep 23, 6:40 AM EDTTornado WarningAKQEssex, King and Queen30 min
Sep 23, 7:45 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ60 min
Sep 23, 7:49 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQGloucester, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex31 min
Sep 23, 8:26 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ64 min
Sep 23, 8:26 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ64 min
Sep 23, 8:42 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ33 min
Sep 23, 8:42 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ33 min
Sep 23, 9:28 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ62 min
Sep 23, 9:28 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ62 min
Sep 23, 9:28 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ62 min
Sep 23, 9:28 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.