Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 697

July 9, 20035 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Jul 9, 2003, 1:15 PM EDT for 5 states. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 9, 2003, 1:15 PM EDT (17:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 9, 2003, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 83 counties

Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE, Sussex County, DE, Anne Arundel County, MD, Calvert County, MD, Caroline County, MD, Cecil County, MD, Charles County, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Kent County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Queen Anne's County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Talbot County, MD, Wicomico County, MD, Worcester County, MD, Atlantic County, NJ, Burlington County, NJ, Camden County, NJ, Cape May County, NJ, Cumberland County, NJ, Gloucester County, NJ, Ocean County, NJ, Salem County, NJ, Delaware County, PA, Philadelphia County, PA, Accomack County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, Chesterfield County, 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 Portsmouth, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex 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, Northampton County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Pittsylvania 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), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:14 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

14 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 3:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKPittsylvania39 min
Jul 9, 3:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKPittsylvania37 min
Jul 9, 4:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKHalifax39 min
Jul 9, 4:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQMecklenburg45 min
Jul 9, 4:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCharlotte44 min
Jul 9, 4:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKHalifax20 min
Jul 9, 4:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXPrince George's67 min
Jul 9, 5:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQChesterfield, Dinwiddie29 min
Jul 9, 5:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQHenrico, City of Richmond31 min
Jul 9, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQPrince George, City of Colonial Heights, City of Hopewell, City of Petersburg30 min
Jul 9, 5:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCharles65 min
Jul 9, 5:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIKent74 min
Jul 9, 5:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQLancaster, Northumberland, Richmond29 min
Jul 9, 7:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHISussex52 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 120 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 12:00Z on 2003-07-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2488 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-07-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 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
2488 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
912 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
19 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 
WWUS20 KWNS 091716
SEL7  
SPC WW 091715
DEZ000-MDZ000-NJZ000-PAZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-100100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 697 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
115 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       DELAWARE
       EASTERN MARYLAND
       SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
       EXTREME SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA
       SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 115 PM UNTIL
900 PM EDT.

HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES
EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF ATLANTIC CITY
NEW JERSEY TO 60 MILES EAST OF DANVILLE VIRGINIA.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES.


OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 695...WW 696...


DISCUSSION...MODERATELY TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS IS FAVORABLE
FOR STORMS TO DEVELOP/SPREAD EWD ACROSS THE AREA INTO THE EVENING
HOURS...AS SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. DAMAGING
WINDS WILL BE THE GREATEST THREAT...BUT STRONG INSTABILITY WILL ALSO
SUPPORT SEVERE HAIL.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.
A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION
VECTOR 27030.


...IMY

400,0721 363,0764 363,0794 400,0752

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 3:48 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKent, New Castle, Sussex117 min
Jul 9, 7:36 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKent, New Castle, Sussex114 min
Jul 8, 8:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery and 1 more93 min
Jul 8, 8:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegany, Frederick, Garrett, Washington4 hr
Jul 8, 11:16 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegany119 min
Jul 9, 10:28 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles and 9 more92 min
Jul 9, 11:50 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick and 7 more6 hr
Jul 9, 12:09 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalvert, Caroline, Charles, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and 5 more96 min
Jul 9, 2:47 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegany, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford and 4 more88 min
Jul 9, 12:55 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCWise3 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Virginia, 2003Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Maryland, 2003Severe Thunderstorm Watches in New Jersey, 2003Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.