Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2004

Tornado Watch 630

July 14, 20045 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jul 14, 2004, 12:50 PM EDT for 5 states. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 14, 2004, 12:50 PM EDT (16:50 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2004, 7:00 PM EDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 112 counties

Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE, Sussex County, DE, Anne Arundel County, MD, Baltimore County, MD, Calvert County, MD, Caroline County, MD, Carroll County, MD, Cecil County, MD, Charles County, MD, City of Baltimore, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Frederick County, MD, Harford County, MD, Howard County, MD, Kent County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Queen Anne's County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Talbot County, MD, Washington County, MD, Wicomico County, MD, Worcester County, MD, Atlantic County, NJ, Cape May County, NJ, Cumberland County, NJ, Salem County, NJ, Accomack County, VA, Albemarle County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Arlington County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Franklin, 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, Clarke County, 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, Greene County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Halifax 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, Loudoun County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Madison County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Mecklenburg 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 Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Warren County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA, Jefferson County, WV

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:52 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.

Warnings issued inside it

44 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 12:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXRappahannock65 min
Jul 14, 1:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQAmelia, Cumberland, Powhatan36 min
Jul 14, 1:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCulpeper66 min
Jul 14, 1:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFauquier61 min
Jul 14, 1:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXLoudoun60 min
Jul 14, 1:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXPrince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park70 min
Jul 14, 2:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQAmelia, Chesterfield25 min
Jul 14, 2:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFairfax, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church55 min
Jul 14, 2:21 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXHarford3 hr
Jul 14, 2:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick63 min
Jul 14, 2:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXHarford62 min
Jul 14, 2:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFauquier, Stafford69 min
Jul 14, 2:41 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXHarford49 min
Jul 14, 2:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCarroll60 min
Jul 14, 2:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXArlington, City of Alexandria39 min
Jul 14, 3:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICecil57 min
Jul 14, 3:05 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHINew Castle76 days
Jul 14, 3:14 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXStafford46 min
Jul 14, 3:17 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningLWXFauquier3 hr
Jul 14, 3:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCharles54 min
Jul 14, 3:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXKing George62 min
Jul 14, 3:53 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHINew Castle3 hr
Jul 14, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHINew Castle60 min
Jul 14, 4:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHISalem60 min
Jul 14, 4:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXSaint Mary's57 min
Jul 14, 4:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXSpotsylvania, City of Fredericksburg52 min
Jul 14, 4:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICecil66 min
Jul 14, 4:27 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXSaint Mary's63 min
Jul 14, 4:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIKent, Queen Anne's58 min
Jul 14, 4:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHINew Castle65 min
Jul 14, 5:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHICumberland, Salem56 min
Jul 14, 5:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKHalifax51 min
Jul 14, 5:10 PM EDTTornado WarningPHICumberland, Salem35 min
Jul 14, 5:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIKent59 min
Jul 14, 5:17 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningPHISalem3 hr
Jul 14, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCaroline37 min
Jul 14, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQDorchester17 min
Jul 14, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCharlotte47 min
Jul 14, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQSomerset, Wicomico30 min
Jul 14, 5:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPHIAtlantic, Cumberland65 min
Jul 14, 5:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKHalifax35 min
Jul 14, 6:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQWorcester34 min
Jul 14, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCaroline29 min
Jul 14, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQEssex20 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 128 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 2004-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1096 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 2004-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 90 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
1096 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
628 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 141651
SEL0  
SPC WW 141650
DCZ000-DEZ000-MDZ000-NJZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-CWZ000-142300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 630
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1250 PM EDT WED JUL 14 2004

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
       DELAWARE
       MARYLAND
       SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
       EASTERN VIRGINIA
       EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1250 PM UNTIL
700 PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF BALTIMORE MARYLAND TO 70
MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF RICHMOND 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 629...

DISCUSSION...VEERING SHEAR PROFILES COUPLED WITH EXTREMELY UNSTABLE
AIR MASS WITH APPROACH OF STRONG UPPER TROUGH SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT
OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS.  ALONG WITH TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL WILL DEVELOP EWD FROM BLUE RIDGE TO COAST BY THIS
EVENING.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.


...HALES

393,0741 363,0760 363,0793 393,0775

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 3:05 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKent, New Castle, Sussex115 min
Jul 14, 12:18 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCWashington117 min
Jul 14, 1:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCWarren6 hr
Jul 14, 3:40 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCWarren95 min
Jul 13, 11:21 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLee114 min
Jul 14, 1:03 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLee, Scott, Wise, City of Norton117 min
Jul 14, 6:10 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAccomack, Amelia, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield and 42 more65 min
Jul 14, 7:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAccomack, Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and 40 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2004Tornado Watches in Maryland, 2004Tornado Watches in New Jersey, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.