Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2008
Tornado Watch 280
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 8, 2008, 6:48 PM EDT for 9 counties in North Carolina; 54 counties in Virginia; 7 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 9 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 8, 2008, 6:48 PM EDT (22:48 UTC)
- Expired
- May 9, 2008, 3:49 AM EDT
- In force
- 9 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 70 counties
Alleghany County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Surry County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Albemarle County, VA, Alleghany County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Augusta County, VA, Bath County, VA, Bedford County, VA, Bland County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Carroll County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, City of Buena Vista, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Covington, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Galax, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, City of Lexington, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, City of Radford, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, City of Staunton, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA, Craig County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Floyd County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Giles County, VA, Grayson County, VA, Greene County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Henry County, VA, Highland County, VA, Madison County, VA, Montgomery County, VA, Nelson County, VA, Orange County, VA, Page County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Roanoke County, VA, Rockbridge County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Smyth County, VA, Tazewell County, VA, Warren County, VA, Wythe County, VA, Grant County, WV, Greenbrier County, WV, Hardy County, WV, Mercer County, WV, Monroe County, WV, Pendleton County, WV, Summers County, WV
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:48 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 40%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 20%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 40%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 30%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 40%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 10%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 80%
Warnings issued inside it
50 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | LWX | Albemarle | 32 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 | Alleghany, Surry, Wilkes | 62 min |
| May 8, 7:57 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Franklin, Pittsylvania | 48 min |
| May 8, 8:03 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Carroll, Floyd, Patrick | 42 min |
| May 8, 8:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Craig | 30 min |
| May 8, 8:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Augusta, Nelson, City of Charlottesville | 52 min |
| May 8, 8:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Surry | 40 min |
| May 8, 8:35 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Nelson, City of Charlottesville | 40 min |
| May 8, 8:44 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Bedford, Campbell, Franklin, Pittsylvania | 46 min |
| May 8, 8:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Franklin, Henry, Patrick | 30 min |
| May 8, 8:54 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Stokes, Surry | 51 min |
| May 8, 9:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin | 59 min |
| May 8, 9:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Roanoke, Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista and 2 more | 58 min |
| May 8, 9:16 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania | 59 min |
| May 8, 9:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Greene, Madison, Orange, City of Charlottesville | 57 min |
| May 8, 9:23 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin | 52 min |
| May 8, 9:25 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Franklin, Henry, Pittsylvania | 50 min |
| May 8, 9:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Rockingham, City of Staunton | 48 min |
| May 8, 9:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Henry, Patrick, City of Martinsville | 45 min |
| May 8, 9:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 57 min |
| May 8, 9:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford | 47 min |
| May 8, 9:56 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Rockingham | 49 min |
| May 8, 9:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Amherst | 23 min |
| May 8, 9:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Yadkin | 46 min |
| May 8, 10:02 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford | 28 min |
| May 8, 10:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania | 61 min |
| May 8, 10:15 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Henry, City of Martinsville | 6 hr |
| May 8, 10:19 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Nelson, City of Charlottesville | 4 hr |
| May 8, 10:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 53 min |
| May 8, 10:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Henry, City of Martinsville | 23 min |
| May 8, 10:32 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg | 43 min |
| May 8, 10:42 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Campbell, Pittsylvania | 6 hr |
| May 8, 11:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax | 55 min |
| May 8, 11:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania | 90 min |
| May 8, 11:49 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 56 min |
| May 8, 11:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg | 52 min |
| May 9, 12:22 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Franklin, Henry, Pittsylvania | 6 hr |
| May 9, 12:33 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Surry, Yadkin | 42 min |
| May 9, 12:39 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Appomattox, Campbell | 6 hr |
| May 9, 12:57 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 6 hr |
| May 9, 1:06 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes | 39 min |
| May 9, 1:14 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 6 hr |
| May 9, 1:54 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Charlotte, Halifax | 61 min |
| May 9, 2:00 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 6 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 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 72 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 082248
SEL0
SPC WW 082248
NCZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-090500-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 280
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
650 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2008
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
WESTERN VIRGINIA
WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE
EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 650 PM
UNTIL 100 AM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES NORTH OF STAUNTON
VIRGINIA TO 60 MILES WEST OF GREENSBORO NORTH CAROLINA. FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).
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 278...WW 279...
DISCUSSION...BROKEN LINE OF STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN
COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS DEEP ASCENT AHEAD OF APPROACHING UPPER
SYSTEM SPREADS INTO GREATER INSTABILITY EAST OF THE APPALACHIANS.
WITH INCREASING SSWLY LLJ THIS EVENING...SHEAR PARAMETERS WILL
BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS AND POSSIBLY ISOLATED
TORNADOES. OTHERWISE...THREATS OF DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED LARGE
HAIL WILL ACCOMPANY STRONGER CORES THIS EVENING.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
400. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.
...EVANSSPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2:22 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 10 more | 83 min |
| May 8, 6:12 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Alleghany, Caswell, Forsyth, Guilford, Person and 5 more | 63 min |
| May 8, 7:20 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alamance, Alexander, Anson, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 29 more | 8 hr |
| May 8, 11:07 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hamilton, Lawrence, Lincoln and 2 more | 83 min |
| May 8, 1:37 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Lincoln, Marion, Moore and 1 more | 83 min |
| May 8, 1:40 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Hamilton, Lincoln, McMinn and 7 more | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2008Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2008Tornado Watches in West Virginia, 2008Every tornado watch 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.