Alert archive / Ohio / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Charleston, WV

August 20, 2009Athens County, Morgan County, Ohio

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at Aug 20, 2009, 5:24 PM EDT for Athens County, Morgan County, Ohio. It was in force for 51 min. 3 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: Aug 20, 2009, 5:24 PM EDT (21:24 UTC)
Expired: Aug 20, 2009, 6:15 PM EDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Athens County, OH, Morgan County, OH

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:25 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
Aug 20, 5:25 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Buchtel, OH	TREES DOWN
Aug 20, 5:56 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Chesterhill, OH	TREES REPORTED DOWN IN THE TOWN OF CHESTERHILL
Aug 20, 5:56 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Chesterhill, OH

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
Aug 20, 2:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 149 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: 1087 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -27 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 588 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 143 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 5.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS51 KRLX 202124
TORRLX
OHC009-115-202215-
/O.NEW.KRLX.TO.W.0007.090820T2124Z-090820T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
524 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ATHENS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OHIO...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...NELSONVILLE...GLOUSTER...
  SOUTHWESTERN MORGAN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OHIO...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF CHESTERHILL...

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 521 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  NELSONVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  BUCHTEL...CHAUNCEY...JACKSONVILLE...TRIMBLE...BURR OAK STATE PARK
  AND MALTA..

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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. 

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST OHIO AND CENTRAL
WEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3966 8182 3946 8183 3938 8207 3936 8225
      3938 8230 3947 8228 3947 8217 3955 8216
      3955 8205 3962 8204 3964 8199
TIME...MOT...LOC 2123Z 248DEG 22KT 3945 8225

$$

22

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS51 KRLX 202142
SVSRLX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
542 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2009

OHC009-115-202215-
/O.CON.KRLX.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-090820T2215Z/
ATHENS OH-MORGAN OH-
542 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN MORGAN AND NORTHWESTERN ATHENS COUNTIES...

AT 537 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR 
GLOUSTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BURR 
OAK STATE PARK...CHESTERHILL...RINGGOLD...MALTA AND MCCONNELSVILLE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST OHIO AND 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 3966 8182 3946 8183 3938 8207 3937 8224
      3940 8228 3947 8228 3947 8217 3955 8216
      3955 8204 3962 8204 3964 8199
TIME...MOT...LOC 2139Z 248DEG 27KT 3950 8207

$$

22

000 
WWUS51 KRLX 202215
SVSRLX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
615 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2009

OHC009-115-202222-
/O.EXP.KRLX.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-090820T2215Z/
ATHENS OH-MORGAN OH-
615 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN MORGAN AND NORTHWESTERN
ATHENS COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 615 PM EDT...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAS WEAKENED AND NO
LONGER POSES A TORNADIC THREAT...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

HOWEVER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ARE STILL IN EFFECT FOR 
A PORTION OF THIS REGION FOR LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.

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 3966 8182 3946 8183 3938 8207 3937 8224
      3940 8228 3947 8228 3947 8217 3955 8216
      3955 8204 3962 8204 3964 8199
TIME...MOT...LOC 2212Z 248DEG 27KT 3959 8177

$$

22

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 20, 4:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Vinton	47 min
Aug 20, 4:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RLX	Athens, Vinton	39 min
Aug 20, 5:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Athens, Vinton	42 min
Aug 20, 5:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RLX	Athens, Morgan, Washington	46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Ohio, 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.