Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 8, 2008Franklin County, Pittsylvania County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2008, 7:57 PM EDT for Franklin County, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. It was in force for 48 min. 3 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: May 8, 2008, 7:57 PM EDT (23:57 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2008, 8:45 PM EDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Franklin County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:56 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
May 8, 8:26 PM EDT	HAIL 1	10 Se Rocky Mount, VA	ALSO TREES DOWN ON COOPERS MT.RD AND MUDDY FORK RD.
May 8, 8:40 PM EDT	HAIL 0.88	Sontag, VA
May 8, 8:45 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Snow Creek, VA

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
May 8, 6:48 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 39 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: 29 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 977 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 182 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 200 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 KRNK 082357
TORRNK
VAC067-143-090045-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0005.080508T2357Z-080509T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
757 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  WEST CENTRAL PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 845 PM EDT.

* AT 752 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF SYDNORSVILLE...OR NEAR BASSETT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  29 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SNOW CREEK...
  SONTAG...
  SAGO...
  PENHOOK...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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.


PLEASE RELAY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3691 7950 3684 7964 3685 7965 3680 7972
      3680 7973 3687 7993 3703 7966
TIME...MOT...LOC 2357Z 230DEG 25KT 3679 7987

$$

WP

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KRNK 090025
SVSRNK

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
826 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2008

VAC121-090036-
/O.CAN.KRNK.SV.W.0052.000000T0000Z-080509T0045Z/
MONTGOMERY VA-
826 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2008

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EDT FRIDAY MORNING FOR
NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST
WEST VIRGINIA.

LAT...LON 3728 8023 3715 8053 3716 8055 3719 8053
      3719 8051 3720 8052 3724 8050 3734 8038
      3736 8034 3736 8030
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 257DEG 27KT 3729 8017

$$

JDS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 8, 6:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Bland, Giles	63 min
May 8, 7:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Giles	54 min
May 8, 7:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Franklin, Henry, Patrick, City of Martinsville	63 min
May 8, 7:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Buckingham	41 min
May 8, 7:38 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Franklin, Henry, Patrick	67 min
May 8, 7:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Craig, Giles, Montgomery, City of Radford	65 min
May 8, 7:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Montgomery, Pulaski, City of Radford	63 min
May 8, 7:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Carroll, Patrick	62 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.