Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2003
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Wakefield, VA
NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2003, 3:01 PM EDT for Essex County, King and Queen County, Middlesex County, Virginia. It was in force for 29 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
- May 8, 2003, 3:01 PM EDT (19:01 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 2003, 3:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wakefield, VA
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Essex County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, Middlesex County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:02 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 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 114 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
- 140 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 653 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -72 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 47 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
793
WFUS51 KAKQ 081901
TORAKQ
VAC057-097-119-081930-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
300 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
ESSEX COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
KING AND QUEEN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA
* UNTIL 330 PM EDT
* AT 300 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A DEVELOPING TORNADO OVER HOWERTONS...
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
* THE STORM PRODUCING THE TORNADO WILL REACH...
CENTER CROSS AND INO AROUND 305 PM
MONTAGUE AND LANEVIEW AROUND 310 PM
JAMAICA AROUND 315 PM
SAMOS AND NESTING AROUND 320 PM
URBANNA AND REMLIK AROUND 325 PM
COOPER AND HEALYS AROUND 330 PM
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 3758 7642 3760 7666 3782 7698 3794 7686
3790 7678 3782 7675 3775 7661 3766 7658
$$The office that day
Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 9:16 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 59 min | |
| May 8, 2:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Caroline | 28 min |
| May 8, 3:18 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Gloucester | 32 min |
| May 8, 3:30 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 45 min | |
| May 8, 3:30 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 45 min | |
| May 8, 3:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mathews | 30 min |
| May 8, 3:51 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 54 min | |
| May 8, 3:51 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 54 min | |
| May 8, 3:51 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 54 min | |
| May 8, 3:51 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Gloucester | 14 min |
| May 8, 4:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Henrico, City of Richmond | 30 min |
| May 8, 4:39 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Henrico | 16 min |
| May 8, 4:44 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 46 min | |
| May 8, 4:44 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 46 min | |
| May 8, 4:44 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 46 min | |
| May 8, 4:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Virginia Beach | 26 min |
| May 8, 5:06 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 39 min | |
| May 8, 5:06 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 39 min | |
| May 8, 5:06 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | AKQ | 39 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.