Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 449
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 31, 2003, 2:30 PM EDT for 46 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 31, 2003, 2:30 PM EDT (18:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 31, 2003, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 46 counties
Amelia County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Charlotte 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 Lynchburg, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, York County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:34 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.
Warnings issued inside it
7 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Amelia, Chesterfield | 28 min |
| May 31, 3:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Dinwiddie, Prince George, City of Petersburg | 32 min |
| May 31, 4:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Halifax | 65 min |
| May 31, 5:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 44 min |
| May 31, 5:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Brunswick | 43 min |
| May 31, 5:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Brunswick | 37 min |
| May 31, 6:17 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Brunswick, Greensville | 28 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
Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 155 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 311831
SEL9
SPC WW 311830
VAZ000-CWZ000-010000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 449
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
230 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
COASTAL WATERS
EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
800 PM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 35 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF LYNCHBURG
VIRGINIA TO 45 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF NORFOLK VIRGINIA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND 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.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 447...WW 448...
DISCUSSION...APPROACH OF STRONG JET MAX AND ASSOCIATED EXIT REGION
PLACES SERN VA IN FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR FOR SUPERCELL
DEVELOPMENT. WITH AIRMASS CONTINUING TO DESTABILIZE THIS
AREA...THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY EWD WITH ISOLATED TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS LIKELY.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040.
...HALES
373,0791 373,0752 363,0752 363,0791
WWUS20 KWNS 311831
SEL9
SPC WW 311830
VAZ000-CWZ000-010000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 449
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
230 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHERN VIRGINIA
COASTAL WATERS
EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
800 PM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 35 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF LYNCHBURG
VIRGINIA TO 45 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF NORFOLK VIRGINIA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND 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.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 447...WW 448...
DISCUSSION...APPROACH OF STRONG JET MAX AND ASSOCIATED EXIT REGION
PLACES SERN VA IN FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR FOR SUPERCELL
DEVELOPMENT. WITH AIRMASS CONTINUING TO DESTABILIZE THIS
AREA...THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY EWD WITH ISOLATED TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS LIKELY.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040.
...HALES
373,0791 373,0752 363,0752 363,0791SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1:06 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Albemarle, Amelia, Appomattox, Arlington, Buckingham, Campbell and 36 more | 114 min |
| May 31, 1:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Accomack, Albemarle, Arlington, Caroline, Clarke, Culpeper and 31 more | 5 hr |
| May 31, 2:05 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Henry, City of Danville | 6 hr |
| May 31, 3:58 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Accomack, Albemarle, Amelia, Appomattox, Arlington, Brunswick and 57 more | 2 hr |
| May 31, 6:37 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Henrico and 22 more | 83 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2003Every tornado 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.