Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Charleston, WV

May 8, 2009Buchanan County, Dickenson County, Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2009, 8:51 PM EDT for Buchanan County, Dickenson County, Virginia. It was in force for 24 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: May 8, 2009, 8:51 PM EDT (00:51 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2009, 9:15 PM EDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Buchanan County, VA, Dickenson County, VA

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:50 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, 9:00 PM EDT	TORNADO	2 N Clintwood, VA	EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN INTERMITTENTLY JUST NORTH OF CLINTWOOD. PATH LENGTH WAS 0.75 MILES...WIDTH 100 YARDS. SOME TREES WERE UPROOTED AND FELL ON A MOBILE HOME...MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO TWO OTHER HOMES.
May 8, 9:10 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	5 W Vansant, VA	HAIL WAS REPORTED 1 NORTH OF PRATER.

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, 4:42 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 254 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: 216 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1148 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 212 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KRLX 090051
TORRLX
VAC027-051-090115-
/O.NEW.KRLX.TO.W.0002.090509T0051Z-090509T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
851 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL BUCHANAN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA...
  NORTHERN DICKENSON COUNTY IN VIRGINIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...JOHN FLANNAGAN LAKE...HAYSI...
  CLINTWOOD...BREAKS INTERSTATE PARK...

* UNTIL 915 PM EDT

* AT 850 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF CLINTWOOD...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  MCCLURE AND CLINCHCO.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 MIDNIGHT EDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3712 8255 3720 8256 3725 8243 3726 8236
      3730 8230 3730 8213 3707 8216
TIME...MOT...LOC 0051Z 276DEG 25KT 3722 8254

$$

10

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS51 KRLX 090104
SVSRLX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
904 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

VAC027-051-090115-
/O.CON.KRLX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090509T0115Z/
DICKENSON VA-BUCHANAN VA-
904 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM EDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL BUCHANAN AND NORTHERN DICKENSON COUNTIES...

AT 900 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR JOHN FLANNAGAN
LAKE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO HAYSI

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

&&

PLEASE REPORT HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3712 8255 3720 8256 3725 8243 3726 8236
      3730 8230 3730 8213 3707 8216
TIME...MOT...LOC 0104Z 284DEG 42KT 3719 8231

$$

10

000 
WWUS51 KRLX 090116
SVSRLX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
916 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

VAC027-051-090126-
/O.EXP.KRLX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090509T0115Z/
DICKENSON VA-BUCHANAN VA-
916 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL BUCHANAN AND NORTHERN
DICKENSON COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STORM WHICH
PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA.
THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3712 8255 3720 8256 3725 8243 3726 8236
      3730 8230 3730 8213 3707 8216
TIME...MOT...LOC 0104Z 284DEG 42KT 3718 8231

$$

10

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 8, 9:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Buchanan	28 min
May 8, 9:15 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RLX	Buchanan	30 min
May 8, 9:17 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RLX	Buchanan, Dickenson	4 hr
May 9, 1:24 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RLX	Buchanan	3 hr
May 9, 4:04 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Buchanan	7 hr
May 9, 5:46 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Buchanan, Dickenson	4 hr
May 9, 9:43 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Buchanan, Dickenson	4 hr
May 9, 10:58 AM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	RLX	Buchanan	5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

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.