Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2005

Tornado Watch 16

January 14, 2005Sussex County, Delaware; 12 counties in Maryland; 75 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 14, 2005, 1:55 AM EST for Sussex County, Delaware; 12 counties in Maryland; 75 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 14, 2005, 1:55 AM EST (06:55 UTC)
Expired
Jan 14, 2005, 7:00 AM EST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 88 counties

Sussex County, DE, Anne Arundel County, MD, Calvert County, MD, Caroline County, MD, Charles County, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Queen Anne's County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Talbot County, MD, Wicomico County, MD, Worcester County, MD, Accomack County, VA, Albemarle County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Arlington County, VA, Bedford 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 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 Hopewell, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Henry 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, Lunenburg County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, Nelson County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Orange County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton 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), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:55 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 14, 2:06 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXAlbemarle, City of Charlottesville24 min
Jan 14, 2:09 AM ESTTornado WarningLWXAlbemarle36 min
Jan 14, 2:17 AM ESTTornado WarningLWXOrange43 min
Jan 14, 3:04 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXPrince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park26 min
Jan 14, 3:32 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFairfax, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church28 min
Jan 14, 3:54 AM ESTTornado WarningAKQCharles City, Fluvanna, Northumberland, Prince George, Richmond307 days
Jan 14, 4:03 AM ESTTornado WarningAKQGoochland, Surry130 days
Jan 14, 5:11 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXCharles49 min
Jan 14, 5:18 AM ESTTornado WarningAKQHanover169 days
Jan 14, 5:28 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCharles City, James City, Mecklenburg219 days
Jan 14, 5:43 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXKing George47 min
Jan 14, 6:50 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningLWXArlington, Fairfax, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church4 hr

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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 154 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 00:00Z on 2005-01-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 30 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2005-01-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 309 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
30 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1014 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
309 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
341 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.

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 140659
SEL6  
SPC WW 140655
DCZ000-DEZ000-MDZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-141200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 16
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
155 AM EST FRI JAN 14 2005

CORRECTED FOR ADDITION OF DELAWARE BAY COASTAL COUNTIES

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

  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
  MUCH OF DELAWARE
  SOUTHERN MARYLAND
  CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA
  COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY MORNING FROM 155 AM UNTIL 700 AM EST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH 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 30 MILES EAST OF DANVILLE VIRGINIA TO 50 MILES
NORTH OF SALISBURY MARYLAND.

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 15...

DISCUSSION...VERY STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR AND UNSEASONABLY WARM
MOIST AIR MASS AHEAD OF INSTABILITY LINE MOVING EWD ACROSS VA/MD. 
SURFACE WAVE SWRN VA IS MOVING NEWD ALONG BOUNDARY AND WILL ENHANCE
POTENTIAL FOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ACROSS WATCH AREA

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23050.


...HALES

363,0803 390,0771 390,0734 363,0770

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 14, 2:36 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKent, New Castle114 min
Jan 14, 4:15 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCSussex90 min
Jan 14, 5:00 AM ESTTornado WatchSPCSussex6 hr
Jan 14, 7:05 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCSussex85 min
Jan 14, 12:32 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlbemarle, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Brunswick and 42 more88 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2005Tornado Watches in Maryland, 2005Tornado Watches in Delaware, 2005Every tornado watch in 2005

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.