Alert archive / West Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2004
Tornado Watch 348
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 31, 2004, 12:40 AM EDT for 6 states. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 31, 2004, 12:40 AM EDT (04:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 31, 2004, 6:00 AM EDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 82 counties
Floyd County, KY, Harlan County, KY, Knott County, KY, Letcher County, KY, Martin County, KY, Pike County, KY, Garrett County, MD, Athens County, OH, Belmont County, OH, Gallia County, OH, Guernsey County, OH, Meigs County, OH, Monroe County, OH, Morgan County, OH, Noble County, OH, Washington County, OH, Fayette County, PA, Greene County, PA, Somerset County, PA, Bland County, VA, Buchanan County, VA, Carroll County, VA, City of Galax, VA, City of Norton, VA, City of Radford, VA, Dickenson County, VA, Giles County, VA, Grayson County, VA, Lee County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Russell County, VA, Scott County, VA, Smyth County, VA, Tazewell County, VA, Washington County, VA, Wise County, VA, Wythe County, VA, Barbour County, WV, Boone County, WV, Braxton County, WV, Cabell County, WV, Calhoun County, WV, Clay County, WV, Doddridge County, WV, Fayette County, WV, Gilmer County, WV, Greenbrier County, WV, Harrison County, WV, Jackson County, WV, Kanawha County, WV, Lewis County, WV, Lincoln County, WV, Logan County, WV, Marion County, WV, Marshall County, WV, Mason County, WV, McDowell County, WV, Mercer County, WV, Mingo County, WV, Monongalia County, WV, Monroe County, WV, Nicholas County, WV, Ohio County, WV, Pleasants County, WV, Pocahontas County, WV, Preston County, WV, Putnam County, WV, Raleigh County, WV, Randolph County, WV, Ritchie County, WV, Roane County, WV, Summers County, WV, Taylor County, WV, Tucker County, WV, Tyler County, WV, Upshur County, WV, Wayne County, WV, Webster County, WV, Wetzel County, WV, Wirt County, WV, Wood County, WV, Wyoming County, WV
Warnings issued inside it
34 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 12:40 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RLX | Mingo | 3 hr |
| May 31, 12:49 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Floyd | 41 min |
| May 31, 12:49 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | McDowell, Wyoming | 56 min |
| May 31, 12:52 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | RLX | Raleigh | 53 min |
| May 31, 1:03 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Pike | 42 min |
| May 31, 1:13 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | MRX | Russell, Washington | 47 min |
| May 31, 1:18 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | MRX | Scott | 27 min |
| May 31, 1:44 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | RLX | Raleigh | 31 min |
| May 31, 1:59 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Lee | 61 min |
| May 31, 2:07 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | MRX | Washington | 38 min |
| May 31, 2:08 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Monroe, Summers | 52 min |
| May 31, 2:24 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Gallia | 51 min |
| May 31, 2:26 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott | 64 min |
| May 31, 2:27 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott | 63 min |
| May 31, 2:32 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Smyth | 28 min |
| May 31, 2:33 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Wayne | 57 min |
| May 31, 2:49 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Letcher, Pike | 56 min |
| May 31, 2:51 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Cabell, Mason | 54 min |
| May 31, 2:54 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Martin | 66 min |
| May 31, 2:55 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Letcher, Pike | 50 min |
| May 31, 2:55 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Martin | 65 min |
| May 31, 2:56 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Letcher, Pike | 49 min |
| May 31, 2:57 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Lee, Scott, Wise, City of Norton | 48 min |
| May 31, 3:00 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Floyd, Johnson | 4 hr |
| May 31, 3:02 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | MRX | Lee | 3 hr |
| May 31, 3:05 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Floyd, Pike | 55 min |
| May 31, 3:14 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Harlan, Letcher | 6 hr |
| May 31, 3:18 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Lincoln, Putnam | 27 min |
| May 31, 3:31 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Boone, Kanawha, Logan, Mingo | 59 min |
| May 31, 3:46 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Russell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol | 59 min |
| May 31, 4:13 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Clay, Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, Wyoming | 62 min |
| May 31, 4:55 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Letcher and 6 more | 6 hr |
| May 31, 5:24 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bland, Giles | 51 min |
| May 31, 5:43 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Pulaski | 47 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 206 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 429 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -93 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 718 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 203 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 256 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 2.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 310443
SEL8
SPC WW 310440
MDZ000-OHZ000-PAZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-311000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 348
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1240 AM EDT MON MAY 31 2004
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
FAR WESTERN MARYLAND PANHANDLE
EAST CENTRAL OHIO
SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA
WESTERN VIRGINIA
WEST VIRGINIA
EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY MORNING FROM 1240 AM UNTIL 600 AM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BLUEFIELD WEST VIRGINIA TO 40
MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF MORGANTOWN WEST VIRGINIA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 343...WW 344...WW 345...WW
346...WW 347...
DISCUSSION...INTENSE SQUALL LINE WITH EMBEDDED BOW ECHOES AND
SUPERCELLS WILL CONTINUE RACING EWD AT 40-50 KT ACROSS WW THROUGH
09-10Z. IN ADDITION TO A THREAT OF WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS...
SHEAR REMAINS VERY FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES...BOTH WITHIN THE LINE
AND WITH ISOLATED CELLS AHEAD OF IT.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26045.
...EVANS
363,0832 401,0813 401,0784 363,0804SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 8:21 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle and 50 more | 84 min |
| May 30, 9:20 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adair, Anderson, Bath, Bell, Boone, Bourbon and 69 more | 7 hr |
| May 30, 9:39 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Crittenden, Daviess, Graves and 13 more | 96 min |
| May 30, 11:47 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Anderson, Barren, Bath, Boone, Bourbon and 56 more | 58 min |
| May 31, 2:40 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clark and 38 more | 2 hr |
| May 31, 4:40 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Letcher, Martin, Pike | 95 min |
| May 31, 2:53 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Calvert, Charles, Saint Mary's, Somerset | 37 min |
| May 31, 3:50 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Calvert, Charles, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's, Saint Mary's and 1 more | 6 hr |
| May 31, 7:17 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Calvert, Charles, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's, Saint Mary's and 1 more | 118 min |
| May 31, 1:50 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Williams | 55 min |
| May 31, 1:40 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | City of Bristol | 5 hr |
| May 31, 5:50 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Floyd, Franklin, Halifax and 9 more | 5 hr |
| May 31, 7:56 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry and 4 more | 2 hr |
| May 31, 9:10 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Mecklenburg | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in West Virginia, 2004Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2004Tornado Watches in Ohio, 2004Every tornado watch 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.