Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003

Mesoscale Discussion 246

March 13, 20037 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 13, 2003, 5:33 PM CST for 7 states. It was in force for 87 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 13, 2003, 5:33 PM CST (23:33 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 2003, 7:00 PM CST
In force
87 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 163 counties

Covington County, AL, Escambia County, FL, Appling County, GA, Baldwin County, GA, Bibb County, GA, Bleckley County, GA, Burke County, GA, Butts County, GA, Candler County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Columbia County, GA, Crawford County, GA, Dodge County, GA, Elbert County, GA, Emanuel County, GA, Evans County, GA, Glascock County, GA, Greene County, GA, Hancock County, GA, Houston County, GA, Jasper County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Jenkins County, GA, Johnson County, GA, Jones County, GA, Lamar County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, Macon County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Monroe County, GA, Montgomery County, GA, Morgan County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Oglethorpe County, GA, Peach County, GA, Pierce County, GA, Pulaski County, GA, Putnam County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Screven County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taliaferro County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Telfair County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Treutlen County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Upson County, GA, Ware County, GA, Warren County, GA, Washington County, GA, Wayne County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilkes County, GA, Wilkinson County, GA, Calvert County, MD, Charles County, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Talbot County, MD, Alamance County, NC, Cabarrus County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Davie County, NC, Durham County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Granville County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, Mecklenburg County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Orange County, NC, Person County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Union County, NC, Vance County, NC, Warren County, NC, Abbeville County, SC, Aiken County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Cherokee County, SC, Chester County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Lancaster County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Lexington County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Richland County, SC, Saluda County, SC, Spartanburg County, SC, Union County, SC, York County, SC, Amelia County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Danville, 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 Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Halifax 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, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:34 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, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 279 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 2003-03-13Temperature 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 2003-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 73 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
1559 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
68 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
Mar 13, 1:58 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCovington, Escambia, Geneva, Houston3 hr
Mar 13, 9:39 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun and 40 more2 hr
Mar 13, 10:10 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAutauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee and 37 more6 hr
Mar 13, 12:59 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Chilton and 30 more2 hr
Mar 13, 2:15 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler and 35 more2 hr
Mar 13, 3:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh and 12 more5 hr
Mar 13, 5:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarbour, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Russell5 hr
Mar 13, 8:39 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia and 24 more2 hr
Mar 13, 8:55 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAlachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie and 10 more6 hr
Mar 13, 12:55 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Murray, Rabun, Stephens and 4 more2 hr
Mar 13, 1:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegany, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard and 3 more6 hr
Mar 13, 5:04 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalvert, Charles, Dorchester, Prince George's, Saint Mary's, Talbot86 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 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.