Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2004

Mesoscale Discussion 1022

May 31, 20044 counties in Maryland; 57 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 31, 2004, 2:53 PM EDT for 4 counties in Maryland; 57 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 37 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 31, 2004, 2:53 PM EDT (18:53 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 2004, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 61 counties

Calvert County, MD, Charles County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Accomack County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, 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, Culpeper County, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland 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, Mathews County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Orange County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:57 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 140 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2004-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 18 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2004-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 127 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
18 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-157 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
501 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
207 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.

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SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 31, 12:40 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCGarrett5 hr
May 31, 2:40 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGarrett2 hr
May 31, 4:40 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGarrett95 min
May 31, 3:50 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCCalvert, Charles, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's, Saint Mary's and 1 more6 hr
May 31, 7:17 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalvert, Charles, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's, Saint Mary's and 1 more118 min
May 31, 1:40 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCCity of Bristol5 hr
May 31, 5:50 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCampbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Floyd, Franklin, Halifax and 9 more5 hr
May 31, 7:56 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry and 4 more2 hr
May 31, 9:10 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCMecklenburg5 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2004Mesoscale Discussions in Maryland, 2004Every mesoscale discussion 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.