Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2004

Mesoscale Discussion 2191

September 8, 20044 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Sep 8, 2004, 8:30 PM EDT for 4 states. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 8, 2004, 8:30 PM EDT (00:30 UTC)
Expired
Sep 8, 2004, 10:30 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 68 counties

Calvert County, MD, Carroll County, MD, Charles County, MD, Frederick County, MD, Howard County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Washington County, MD, Adams County, PA, Franklin County, PA, Fulton County, PA, Amelia County, VA, Arlington County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, City of Winchester, VA, Clarke County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Frederick County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King George County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Madison County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Orange County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Surry County, VA, Warren County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA, Berkeley County, WV, Hampshire County, WV, Jefferson County, WV, Morgan County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:32 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 55 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 00:00Z on 2004-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 622 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 00:00Z on 2004-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 311 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
622 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
605 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
383 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

722 
ACUS11 KWNS 090032
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 090030 
PAZ000-VAZ000-MDZ000-DCZ000-WVZ000-090230-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 2191
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0730 PM CDT WED SEP 08 2004

AREAS AFFECTED...ERN VA...MD...FAR ERN WV...SRN PA

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL 

VALID 090030Z - 090230Z

...UPDATE FOR TORNADO WATCH 815...

AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS
THE REMNANTS OF FRANCES MOVES NWD ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES.

SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION FRANCES OVER WV
WITH STRONG MOISTURE ADVECTION OCCURRING ACROSS VA WHERE SFC
DEWPOINTS ARE IN THE MID 70S F. THIS IS CREATING LCL HEIGHTS AROUND
500 METERS. IN ADDITION...FORECAST SOUNDINGS FOR NRN VA THIS EVENING
SHOW STRONGLY VEERED LOW-LEVEL WIND PROFILES AND THIS COMBINED WITH
LOW LCL HEIGHTS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES WITH MINI-SUPERCELLS
THAT DEVELOP AND MOVE NWD. HOWEVER...INSTABILITY IS DECREASING
ACROSS THE REGION AND THIS WILL BE A LIMITING FACTOR AS THE EVENING
PROGRESSES. AS A RESULT...THE TORNADO THREAT SHOULD GRADUALLY
DECREASE BY THE LATE EVENING HOURS

..BROYLES.. 09/09/2004

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...AKQ...CTP...LWX...

37087671 37057785 37347812 38227831 39397865 39937862
40217793 40117712 39597680 38187633 37297622

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 9, 2:05 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester and 8 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2004Mesoscale Discussions in Maryland, 2004Mesoscale Discussions in West Virginia, 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.