Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Wakefield, VA

September 11, 2011Lancaster County, Northumberland County, Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Sep 11, 2011, 2:04 PM EDT for Lancaster County, Northumberland County, Virginia. It was in force for 26 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
Sep 11, 2011, 2:04 PM EDT (18:04 UTC)
Expired
Sep 11, 2011, 2:30 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Lancaster County, VA, Northumberland County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:06 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 nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 86 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 2011-09-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 370 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 12:00Z on 2011-09-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 5 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
370 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1154 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

383 
WFUS51 KAKQ 111804
TORAKQ
VAC103-133-111830-
/O.NEW.KAKQ.TO.W.0072.110911T1804Z-110911T1830Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
204 PM EDT SUN SEP 11 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN LANCASTER COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 230 PM EDT

* AT 202 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR IRVINGTON...AND MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  KILMARNOCK AROUND 215 PM EDT.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS DANGEROUS STORM INCLUDE BYRDTON AND
FOXWELLS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE... OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3769 7629 3768 7631 3766 7631 3763 7627
      3762 7627 3763 7642 3769 7644 3776 7630
TIME...MOT...LOC 1804Z 260DEG 11KT 3766 7640

$$

LBROWN
1 follow-up statement
835 
WWUS51 KAKQ 111822
SVSAKQ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
222 PM EDT SUN SEP 11 2011

VAC103-133-111830-
/O.CON.KAKQ.TO.W.0072.000000T0000Z-110911T1830Z/
NORTHUMBERLAND VA-LANCASTER VA-
222 PM EDT SUN SEP 11 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN LANCASTER AND
EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTIES UNTIL 230 PM EDT...

AT 219 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS 
STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF WHITE STONE...MOVING 
EAST AT 15 MPH.

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF EXTREME
SOUTHEASTERN NORTHUMBERLAND AND SOUTHEASTERN LANCASTER COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3766 7636 3768 7637 3773 7630 3769 7629
      3768 7631 3766 7631 3764 7629
TIME...MOT...LOC 1822Z 260DEG 11KT 3767 7633

$$

LBROWN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 11, 1:47 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementAKQLancaster58 min
Sep 11, 2:02 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ88 min
Sep 11, 3:37 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementAKQLouisa53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

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.