Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Wakefield, VA

April 28, 20087 counties in Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 2008, 4:17 PM EDT for 7 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 28 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 28, 2008, 4:17 PM EDT (20:17 UTC)
Expired: Apr 28, 2008, 4:45 PM EDT
In force: 28 min
Issued by: NWS Wakefield, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:21 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 28, 4:21 PM EDT	TORNADO	Driver, VA	TORNADO ON THE GROUND REPORTED IN DRIVER MOVING NORTHEAST TOWARDS HAMPTON ROADS AND DOWNTOWN NORFOLK.
Apr 28, 4:25 PM EDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Driver, VA	TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ALONG SHOULDERS HILL RD. FUNNEL SPOTTED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 28, 3:16 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 141 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 14 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 544 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 151 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 156 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 
WFUS51 KAKQ 282017
TORAKQ
VAC093-550-650-700-710-740-800-282045-
/O.NEW.KAKQ.TO.W.0021.080428T2017Z-080428T2045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
417 PM EDT MON APR 28 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CITY OF CHESAPEAKE IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...
  CITY OF HAMPTON IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...
  NORTHERN CITY OF NORFOLK IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...
  NORTHERN CITY OF PORTSMOUTH IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...
  NORTHEASTERN CITY OF SUFFOLK IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...
  EAST CENTRAL ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 445 PM EDT

* AT 416 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR DRIVER...OR
  NEAR DOWNTOWN SUFFOLK...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 47 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CRITTENDEN...WESTERN BRANCH AND 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF BOWERS HILL BY
  425 PM EDT...
  CHURCHLAND BY 430 PM EDT...
  FORT MONROE...NORFOLK NAS...OCEAN VIEW AND 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  NORTHAMPTON BY 440 PM EDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING FOR
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA.

LAT...LON 3673 7650 3685 7668 3699 7652 3696 7648
      3690 7646 3694 7635 3698 7633 3699 7637
      3695 7642 3702 7648 3710 7639 3701 7628
      3699 7633 3698 7632 3698 7626 3694 7620
TIME...MOT...LOC 2017Z 227DEG 41KT 3681 7656

$$

GINGRICH

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KAKQ 282048
SVSAKQ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
448 PM EDT MON APR 28 2008

VAC093-550-650-700-710-740-800-282058-
/O.EXP.KAKQ.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-080428T2045Z/
CITY OF CHESAPEAKE VA-CITY OF SUFFOLK VA-CITY OF NORFOLK VA-
CITY OF HAMPTON VA-ISLE OF WIGHT VA-CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS VA-
CITY OF PORTSMOUTH VA-
448 PM EDT MON APR 28 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN CITY OF PORTSMOUTH...SOUTHEASTERN
CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS...EAST CENTRAL ISLE OF WIGHT...CITY OF
HAMPTON...NORTHERN CITY OF NORFOLK...NORTHEASTERN CITY OF SUFFOLK AND
NORTHWESTERN CITY OF CHESAPEAKE COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING FOR
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA.

LAT...LON 3673 7650 3685 7668 3699 7652 3696 7648
      3690 7646 3694 7635 3698 7633 3699 7637
      3695 7642 3702 7648 3710 7639 3701 7628
      3699 7633 3698 7632 3698 7626 3694 7620
TIME...MOT...LOC 2017Z 227DEG 41KT 3681 7656

$$

GINGRICH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wakefield, VA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 28, 2:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Brunswick, Mecklenburg	66 min
Apr 28, 2:43 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Brunswick	32 min
Apr 28, 3:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, Southampton, City of Franklin, City of Suffolk	42 min
Apr 28, 3:07 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Greensville, Sussex	23 min
Apr 28, 3:11 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, Southampton, City of Franklin, City of Suffolk	34 min
Apr 28, 3:16 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	AKQ	Brunswick, Greensville	4 hr
Apr 28, 3:29 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Sussex	31 min
Apr 28, 3:30 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	AKQ	Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and 4 more	3 hr
Apr 28, 3:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Brunswick, Greensville, Southampton, Sussex, City of Emporia	41 min
Apr 28, 3:41 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	AKQ	Greensville, Prince George, Southampton, Sussex, City of Emporia	4 hr
Apr 28, 3:46 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Charles City, Chesterfield, Henrico, Prince George, City of Colonial Heights, City of Hopewell and 1 more	29 min
Apr 28, 3:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, City of Suffolk	25 min
Apr 28, 4:00 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Surry, Sussex	30 min
Apr 28, 4:13 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Charles City, James City, Prince George	32 min
Apr 28, 4:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	James City, Surry	13 min
Apr 28, 4:26 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		64 min
Apr 28, 4:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, City of Suffolk	40 min
Apr 28, 4:39 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Gloucester, James City, King and Queen, York, City of Williamsburg	36 min
Apr 28, 4:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex	19 min
Apr 28, 4:44 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, City of Suffolk	17 min
Apr 28, 5:10 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Northampton	35 min
Apr 28, 5:25 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		65 min
Apr 28, 5:44 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		61 min
Apr 28, 5:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	36 min
Apr 28, 5:53 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Northampton	37 min
Apr 28, 7:24 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		66 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.