Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 272, NWS Blacksburg, VA

July 5, 2008Pittsylvania County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 5, 2008, 2:27 PM EDT for Pittsylvania County, Virginia. It was in force for 63 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 5, 2008, 2:27 PM EDT (18:27 UTC)
Expired
Jul 5, 2008, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Pittsylvania County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:27 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

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 43 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 12:00Z on 2008-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 271 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 12:00Z on 2008-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
271 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-125 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
877 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 5, 1:35 PM EDT, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 5, 1:35 PM EDT, 52 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 5, 4:42 AM EDT, 9 hours 45 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
442 AM EDT SAT JUL 5 2008

NCZ001>006-018>020-VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-043>047-058-059-
WVZ042>045-060845-
ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WATAUGA-WILKES-
YADKIN-TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-
CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-ROCKBRIDGE-
PATRICK-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-CAMPBELL-
APPOMATTOX-BUCKINGHAM-HALIFAX-CHARLOTTE-MERCER-SUMMERS-MONROE-
GREENBRIER-
442 AM EDT SAT JUL 5 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA...NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTH
CENTRAL VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND
SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION. THE PRIMARY
THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE HEAVY RAINFALL.  A FEW
STORMS MAY CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY SUNDAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND EAST OF
THE BLUE RIDGE. HEAVY RAIN AND POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND WILL BE
THE MAIN THREATS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 5, 2:24 PM EDT, 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
224 PM EDT SAT JUL 5 2008

VAZ032-033-043-044-058-051930-
PATRICK-FRANKLIN-HENRY-PITTSYLVANIA-HALIFAX-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...STUART...ROCKY MOUNT...MARTINSVILLE...
DANVILLE...SOUTH BOSTON
224 PM EDT SAT JUL 5 2008

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...

THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT
OF SOUTHSIDE VIRGINIA WILL BRING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS TO PORTIONS
OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. SPECIFICALLY...AREAS FROM ROCKY MOUNT
SOUTH TOWARD MARTINSVILLE...LOCATIONS ALONG AND EITHER SIDE OF
ROUTE 57 FROM CALLANDS TO CHATHAM...AND THE TOWN OF HALIFAX EAST TO
SCOTTSBURG...CAN EXPECT THE HEAVIEST RAINS. AMOUNTS UP TO ONE INCH
IN LESS THAN AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE.

BE ALERT TO PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 5, 3:37 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKPittsylvania3 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.