Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 6, 2009Franklin County, Henry County, Pittsylvania County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 6, 2009, 6:55 PM EDT for Franklin County, Henry County, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. It was in force for 19 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 6, 2009, 6:55 PM EDT (22:55 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2009, 7:14 PM EDT
In force
19 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Franklin County, VA, Henry County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:55 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 6, 2:16 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 85 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2009-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2009-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
450 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 6, 3:17 PM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 3:17 PM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 2:56 PM EDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 6, 3:01 PM EDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 6, 3:45 PM EDT, 3 hours 10 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 6, 4:57 PM EDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 6, 6:28 PM EDT, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
628 PM EDT WED MAY 6 2009

NCZ005-006-070030-
CASWELL NC-ROCKINGHAM NC-
628 PM EDT WED MAY 6 2009

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MAY AFFECT CASWELL AND ROCKINGHAM
COUNTIES...

AT 620 PM EDT...A STRONG ROTATING THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF WINSTON-SALEM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS STORM
HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. IF THE STORM MAINTAINS
THE SAME DIRECTION...SPEED AND MAGNITUDE OF ROTATION...ADDITIONAL
WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED FOR CASWELL AND ROCKINGHAM COUNTIES BY 700
PM. THIS STORM IS BEING MONITORED VERY CLOSELY.

IF THIS STORM MAINTAINS ITS CURRENT TRACK...IT WILL BE NEAR
MONROETON AROUND 725 PM...HARRISONS CROSSROADS AROUND 735
PM...OREGON HILL AROUND 740 PM...CAMP SPRINGS...AND LAWSONVILLE
AROUND 745 PM...QUICK...RUFFIN...AND MAYFIELD AROUND 750 PM...BETHEL
AND AND BETHEL AROUND 755 PM.

LAT...LON 3624 7986 3655 7959 3654 7915 3624 7917

EXPERIMENTAL

DS
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:35 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
635 PM EDT WED MAY 6 2009

VAZ007-009>013-015-WVZ042>045-070030-
BLAND VA-GILES VA-GRAYSON VA-GREENBRIER WV-MERCER WV-MONROE WV-
PULASKI VA-SMYTH VA-SUMMERS WV-TAZEWELL VA-WYTHE VA-
635 PM EDT WED MAY 6 2009

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL WILL AFFECT
FAR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA THROUGH 830 PM...

AT 631 PM EDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR
TAZEWELL TO JUST WEST OF BLUEFIELD AND BECKLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS. VERY
HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...AND WILL CAUSE
WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL
STREAMS.

THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR BLUEFIELD BY 645 PM EDT...WYTHEVILLE BY
700 PM...AND PULASKI AND BLUESTONE DAM BY 715 PM EDT.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR LATER
UPDATES OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

LAT...LON 3824 8045 3693 8065 3658 8161 3659 8167
      3659 8168 3663 8161 3671 8167 3721 8159
      3729 8140 3758 8119 3760 8109 3772 8097
      3771 8090 3783 8094 3787 8077 3806 8082
      3808 8071

EXPERIMENTAL

SK
Special weather statement, May 6, 6:51 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
651 PM EDT WED MAY 6 2009

NCZ006-062315-
CASWELL NC-
651 PM EDT WED MAY 6 2009

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT FAR SOUTHEAST CASWELL COUNTY...

AT 650 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF PROSPECT HILL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE
WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL
STREAMS.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR PROSPECT HILL AROUND 700 PM.

LAT...LON 3632 7916 3624 7916 3624 7925

EXPERIMENTAL

DS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 1:07 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKCarroll, Craig, Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, Patrick and 4 more53 min
May 6, 3:01 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKBedford, City of Buena Vista, City of Lynchburg59 min
May 6, 3:45 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKAmherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, City of Lynchburg60 min
May 6, 4:57 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKHalifax33 min
May 6, 6:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKBland, Giles, Pulaski, Smyth, Tazewell, Wythe115 min
May 6, 7:49 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKCarroll, Grayson, City of Galax56 min
May 6, 6:28 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKCaswell2 hr
May 6, 6:51 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKCaswell24 min
May 6, 7:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCaswell, Rockingham30 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2009Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.