Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Wakefield, VA

June 25, 20044 counties in Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Jun 25, 2004, 2:27 PM EDT for 4 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 33 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
Jun 25, 2004, 2:27 PM EDT (18:27 UTC)
Expired
Jun 25, 2004, 3:00 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties City of Franklin, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, Southampton County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 31 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:28 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, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 191 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 2004-06-25Temperature 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°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 2004-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1270 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 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.

769 
WFUS51 KAKQ 251827
TORAKQ
VAC093-175-620-800-251900-
ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
227 PM EDT FRI JUN 25 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CITY OF FRANKLIN IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
  CITY OF SUFFOLK IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
  ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
  SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 300 PM EDT

* AT 223 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR STORY...OR
  ABOUT OVER COURTLAND...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  FRANKLIN BY 235 PM EDT...
  LEES MILL AND BURDETTE BY 240 PM EDT...
  CARRSVILLE...ELWOOD AND WALTERS BY 245 PM EDT...
  HOLLAND AND COLLOSSE BY 250 PM EDT...
  BOAZ BY 255 PM EDT...
  LUMMIS BY 300 PM EDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3676 7714 3658 7710 3662 7659 3684 7662

$$

NS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 25, 11:47 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQLunenburg, Mecklenburg28 min
Jun 25, 11:57 AM EDTTornado WarningAKQLunenburg18 min
Jun 25, 12:07 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQBrunswick23 min
Jun 25, 12:30 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQBrunswick30 min
Jun 25, 12:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQGreensville, Sussex31 min
Jun 25, 1:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQSouthampton, Sussex45 min
Jun 25, 3:00 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Suffolk30 min
Jun 25, 3:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach30 min
Jun 25, 3:42 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ48 min
Jun 25, 3:42 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ48 min
Jun 25, 4:32 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ58 min
Jun 25, 4:32 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ58 min
Jun 25, 5:31 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ29 min
Jun 25, 5:31 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ29 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes in 2004

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.