Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003

Mesoscale Discussion 1173

May 31, 200312 counties in North Carolina; 28 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 31, 2003, 6:37 PM EDT for 12 counties in North Carolina; 28 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 83 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 31, 2003, 6:37 PM EDT (22:37 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 2003, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
83 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 40 counties

Bertie County, NC, Camden County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Gates County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Vance County, NC, Warren County, NC, Brunswick 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 Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, York County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 45 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:37 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 205 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1033 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

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SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 31, 12:50 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland and 16 more115 min
May 31, 1:25 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Craven, Edgecombe and 16 more2 hr
May 31, 2:05 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAlamance, Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Cabarrus, Camden and 57 more6 hr
May 31, 2:41 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColumbus, Robeson2 hr
May 31, 2:55 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender, Robeson and 1 more5 hr
May 31, 4:37 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlamance, Anson, Bladen, Chatham, Craven, Cumberland and 36 more113 min
May 31, 6:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBladen, Brunswick, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland and 29 more93 min
May 31, 1:06 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlbemarle, Amelia, Appomattox, Arlington, Buckingham, Campbell and 36 more114 min
May 31, 1:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAccomack, Albemarle, Arlington, Caroline, Clarke, Culpeper and 31 more5 hr
May 31, 2:30 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAmelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Brunswick, Buckingham, Campbell and 40 more6 hr
May 31, 3:58 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAccomack, Albemarle, Amelia, Appomattox, Arlington, Brunswick and 57 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in North Carolina, 2003Every mesoscale discussion 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.