Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Blacksburg, VA

September 17, 2004Roanoke County, City of Roanoke, City of Salem, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at Sep 17, 2004, 12:50 PM EDT for Roanoke County, City of Roanoke, City of Salem, Virginia. It was in force for 25 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
Sep 17, 2004, 12:50 PM EDT (16:50 UTC)
Expired
Sep 17, 2004, 1:15 PM EDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, Roanoke County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:51 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
Sep 17, 10:10 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 43 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 2004-09-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 266 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2004-09-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 346 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
266 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
534 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
346 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
493 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KRNK 171650
TORRNK
VAC161-770-775-171715-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1250 PM EDT FRI SEP 17 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ROANOKE IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  EASTERN ROANOKE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  SALEM IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 115 PM EDT

* AT 1244 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF CAVE SPRING...OR ABOUT NEAR BOONES MILL...MOVING NORTH
  AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...

  CAVE SPRING...
  VINTON...
  ROANOKE AIRPORT...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

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.

PLEASE RELAY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM EDT FRIDAY AFTERNOON
FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA.

LAT...LON 3719 8005 3716 7995 3722 7986 3732 7987
      3740 8014

$$

WERT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 17, 10:28 AM EDTTornado WarningRNKPatrick32 min
Sep 17, 11:32 AM EDTTornado WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville28 min
Sep 17, 12:01 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKFranklin, Henry, City of Martinsville29 min
Sep 17, 12:26 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKFranklin34 min
Sep 17, 12:31 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville29 min
Sep 17, 12:56 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKHalifax34 min
Sep 17, 1:01 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBedford, Franklin29 min
Sep 17, 1:05 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKFranklin25 min
Sep 17, 1:30 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBotetourt30 min
Sep 17, 1:44 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKAppomattox, Campbell, Charlotte31 min
Sep 17, 2:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKBedford, Campbell, Halifax, Pittsylvania49 min
Sep 17, 2:15 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKAppomattox30 min
Sep 17, 2:25 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCampbell, Pittsylvania35 min
Sep 17, 2:29 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKBedford, Campbell, Halifax, Pittsylvania, City of Lynchburg3 hr
Sep 17, 2:39 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBuckingham21 min
Sep 17, 3:37 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKAmherst, Appomattox3 hr
Sep 17, 3:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKAppomattox, Buckingham, Charlotte, Halifax37 min
Sep 17, 4:03 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCharlotte3 hr
Sep 17, 4:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKBuckingham29 min
Sep 17, 4:33 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBuckingham12 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.