Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 8, 2008Surry County, North Carolina; Patrick County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2008, 8:20 PM EDT for Surry County, North Carolina; Patrick County, Virginia. It was in force for 40 min. 5 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, 8:20 PM EDT (00:20 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2008, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Surry County, NC, Patrick County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:21 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 8, 8:33 PM EDTHAIL 1.75Mount Airy, NC
May 8, 8:34 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGMount Airy, NCPOWER LINES DOWN IN TOWN
May 8, 8:55 PM EDTHAIL 1Dobson, NC
May 8, 8:58 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGMount Airy, NCTREE DOWN IN TOWN
May 8, 9:10 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGDobson, NCTREES DOWN IN CITY

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 8, 6:48 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 77 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2008-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1104 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2008-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 184 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1104 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
995 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
184 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
6.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KRNK 090020
TORRNK
NCC171-VAC141-090100-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0007.080509T0020Z-080509T0100Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN SURRY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHWESTERN PATRICK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 900 PM EDT.

* AT 817 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR DOBSON...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 29 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  DOBSON...
  WHITE PLAINS...
  WESTFIELD...
  FLAT ROCK...

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 3657 8040 3655 8044 3654 8044 3635 8067
      3646 8081 3657 8067 3656 8062 3658 8061
TIME...MOT...LOC 0020Z 235DEG 25KT 3644 8070

$$

WP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 8:54 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKStokes, Surry51 min
May 8, 9:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKSurry, Wilkes, Yadkin59 min
May 8, 9:23 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKSurry, Wilkes, Yadkin52 min
May 8, 9:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKRockingham, Stokes57 min
May 8, 9:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKYadkin46 min
May 8, 10:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKRockingham, Stokes53 min
May 8, 11:49 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCaswell, Rockingham56 min
May 9, 12:33 AM EDTTornado WarningRNKSurry, Yadkin42 min
May 9, 12:50 AM EDTFlash Flood WatchRNKCaswell, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin4 hr
May 9, 12:57 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCaswell, Rockingham6 hr
May 9, 1:06 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKStokes39 min
May 9, 1:14 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKRockingham, Stokes6 hr
May 9, 2:00 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCaswell, Rockingham6 hr
May 9, 6:45 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRNKRockingham, Stokes6 hr
May 9, 10:04 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRNKCaswell26 hr
May 8, 8:03 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCarroll, Floyd, Patrick42 min
May 8, 8:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCraig30 min
May 8, 8:44 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBedford, Campbell, Franklin, Pittsylvania46 min
May 8, 8:45 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKFranklin, Henry, Patrick30 min
May 8, 9:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKAmherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Roanoke, Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista and 2 more58 min
May 8, 9:16 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCampbell, Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania59 min
May 8, 9:25 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKFranklin, Henry, Pittsylvania50 min
May 8, 9:45 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKHenry, Patrick, City of Martinsville45 min
May 8, 9:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKAmherst23 min
May 8, 10:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKPittsylvania61 min
May 8, 10:15 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville6 hr
May 8, 10:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville23 min
May 8, 10:42 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKCampbell, Pittsylvania6 hr
May 8, 11:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCampbell, Charlotte, Halifax55 min
May 8, 11:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCharlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania90 min
May 9, 12:22 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKFranklin, Henry, Pittsylvania6 hr
May 9, 12:39 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKAppomattox, Campbell6 hr
May 9, 1:54 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCharlotte, Halifax61 min
May 9, 3:55 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, City of Martinsville6 hr
May 9, 5:15 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRNKCampbell, Pittsylvania5 hr
May 9, 6:09 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRNKFranklin, Henry, Pittsylvania4 hr
May 9, 6:15 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRNKAppomattox, Campbell4 hr
May 9, 7:10 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRNKHenry, Pittsylvania, City of Danville6 hr
May 9, 10:04 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRNKHalifax36 hr
May 9, 10:04 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRNKHalifax54 hr
May 9, 6:14 PM EDTRiver Flood WarningRNKCharlotte, Halifax10 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2008Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes 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.