Alert archive / West Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Charleston, WV

May 8, 2009McDowell County, Wyoming County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2009, 9:35 PM EDT for McDowell County, Wyoming County, West Virginia. It was in force for 10 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, 9:35 PM EDT (01:35 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2009, 9:45 PM EDT
In force
10 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties McDowell County, WV, Wyoming County, WV

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:39 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 8, 6:32 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 169 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2009-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 113 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2009-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 84 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
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 090135
TORRLX
WVC047-109-090145-
/O.NEW.KRLX.TO.W.0004.090509T0135Z-090509T0145Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN MCDOWELL COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WYOMING COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 945 PM EDT

* AT 934 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  NORTHFORK...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WELCH...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  MAYBEURY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 200 AM EDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3728 8156 3746 8154 3745 8129 3741 8128
      3741 8129 3740 8131 3734 8135 3731 8139
      3729 8139 3727 8141
TIME...MOT...LOC 0135Z 275DEG 34KT 3736 8143

$$

10
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS51 KRLX 090146
SVSRLX

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

WVC047-109-090156-
/O.EXP.KRLX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090509T0145Z/
MCDOWELL WV-WYOMING WV-
946 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WYOMING AND EASTERN
MCDOWELL 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 200 AM EDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL WEST 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 3728 8156 3746 8154 3745 8129 3741 8128
      3741 8129 3740 8131 3734 8135 3731 8139
      3729 8139 3727 8141
TIME...MOT...LOC 0135Z 275DEG 34KT 3735 8143

$$

10

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 9:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXMcDowell, Wyoming28 min
May 8, 9:17 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRLXMcDowell, Wyoming4 hr
May 9, 1:24 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRLXLogan, McDowell, Mingo, Wyoming3 hr
May 9, 2:02 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRLXLogan, Mingo, Wyoming9 hr
May 9, 4:04 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRLXMcDowell7 hr
May 9, 6:36 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRLXRaleigh9 hr
May 9, 7:11 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRLXMingo32 hr
May 9, 8:18 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRLXLogan6 hr
May 9, 8:18 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRLXLincoln, Logan5 hr
May 9, 9:38 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRLXWyoming5 hr
May 9, 9:38 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRLXCabell, Lincoln3 hr
May 9, 9:38 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningRLXMingo, Wayne36 hr
May 9, 9:43 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRLXMcDowell4 hr
May 9, 10:58 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningRLXLogan, McDowell, Mingo, Wyoming5 hr

Nearby

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