Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Wakefield, VA

August 14, 2004City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Aug 14, 2004, 5:54 PM EDT for City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was in force for 36 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
Aug 14, 2004, 5:54 PM EDT (21:54 UTC)
Expired
Aug 14, 2004, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:53 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 14, 11:30 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 2004-08-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 193 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2004-08-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 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
193 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
541 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KAKQ 142154
TORAKQ
VAC550-810-142230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
554 PM EDT SAT AUG 14 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CITY OF CHESAPEAKE IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
  CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 548 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR MUNDEN...OR
  ABOUT 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF CURRITUCK...MOVING NORTH AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  PRINCESS ANNE...GREENBRIER AND PUNGO BY 600 PM EDT...
  GALLUPS CORNER...PRINCESS ANNE PLAZA...KEMPSVILLE AND LYNNHAVEN BY
  605 PM EDT...
  BAYSIDE BY 610 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 3666 7596 3661 7599 3656 7593 3656 7621
      3683 7623 3682 7622 3685 7617 3688 7621
      3693 7617 3693 7599 3656 7587 3656 7589
      3662 7591

$$

SIEBERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 13, 10:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQKing William37 min
Aug 14, 6:51 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Virginia Beach14 min
Aug 14, 7:05 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake15 min
Aug 14, 7:18 PM EDTTornado WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake17 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.