Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Charleston, WV

May 8, 2009Buchanan County, Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2009, 9:15 PM EDT for Buchanan County, Virginia. It was in force for 30 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 8, 2009, 9:15 PM EDT (01:15 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2009, 9:45 PM EDT
In force: 30 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Buchanan County, VA

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:16 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 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

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 219 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: 113 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1561 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 103 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KRLX 090115
TORRLX
VAC027-090145-
/O.NEW.KRLX.TO.W.0003.090509T0115Z-090509T0145Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BUCHANAN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF DAVENPORT...

* UNTIL 945 PM EDT

* AT 913 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF DAVENPORT...OR NEAR HAYSI...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  VANSANT AND OAKWOOD.

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 3709 8215 3711 8215 3716 8220 3729 8226
      3724 8188 3723 8176 3722 8175 3721 8175
      3718 8178 3716 8186 3714 8188 3712 8200
      3708 8201 3706 8203
TIME...MOT...LOC 0115Z 282DEG 34KT 3718 8217

$$

10

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KRLX 090143
SVSRLX

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

VAC027-090153-
/O.EXP.KRLX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-090509T0145Z/
BUCHANAN VA-
943 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN BUCHANAN COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
945 PM EDT...

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 3709 8215 3711 8215 3716 8220 3729 8226
      3724 8188 3723 8176 3722 8175 3721 8175
      3718 8178 3716 8186 3714 8188 3712 8200
      3708 8201 3706 8203
TIME...MOT...LOC 0143Z 282DEG 34KT 3712 8185

$$

10

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 8, 8:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RLX	Buchanan, Dickenson	24 min
May 8, 9:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Buchanan	28 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.