Alert archive / West Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Baltimore/Washington

March 23, 2011Grant County, Hardy County, West Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Mar 23, 2011, 6:44 PM EDT for Grant County, Hardy County, West Virginia. It was in force for 31 min. 5 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
Mar 23, 2011, 6:44 PM EDT (22:44 UTC)
Expired
Mar 23, 2011, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Grant County, WV, Hardy County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:44 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 23, 6:53 PM EDTHAIL 0.88Rig, WV
Mar 23, 6:55 PM EDTHAIL 0.752 Ne Kline Gap, WVGROUND COVERED IN PEA TO PENNY HAIL.
Mar 23, 6:55 PM EDTHAIL 0.752 Se Fisher, WVDIME SIZE HAIL WHITEN THE GROUND
Mar 23, 7:10 PM EDTHAIL 0.753 Ssw Baker, WV
Mar 23, 7:10 PM EDTHAIL 0.883 Nne Lost River, WV

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 23, 4:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 131 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2011-03-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2011-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 304 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
304 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
428 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

944 
WFUS51 KLWX 232244
TORLWX
WVC023-031-232315-
/O.NEW.KLWX.TO.W.0004.110323T2244Z-110323T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
644 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL HARDY COUNTY IN EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...
  CENTRAL GRANT COUNTY IN EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 643 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 10 MILES WEST OF
  MOOREFIELD...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MOOREFIELD...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3914 7869 3894 7870 3902 7923 3911 7921
TIME...MOT...LOC 2245Z 272DEG 40KT 3907 7912

$$


HTS
2 follow-up statements
904 
WWUS51 KLWX 232255
SVSLWX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
655 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

WVC023-031-232315-
/O.CON.KLWX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110323T2315Z/
HARDY WV-GRANT WV-
655 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM EDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL GRANT AND CENTRAL HARDY COUNTIES...

AT 653 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR MOOREFIELD...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  BAKER...
  MCCAULEY...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3912 7870 3894 7870 3901 7909 3908 7905
TIME...MOT...LOC 2255Z 287DEG 37KT 3901 7898

$$


HTS
509 
WWUS51 KLWX 232314
SVSLWX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
714 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

WVC023-031-232322-
/O.EXP.KLWX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110323T2315Z/
HARDY WV-GRANT WV-
714 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 715 PM EDT FOR EAST CENTRAL
GRANT AND CENTRAL HARDY COUNTIES...

RADAR INDICATIONS OF ROTATION HAVE DISSIPATED. THUS THE TORNADO 
WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER...THE TORNADO WARNING 
HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING. LARGE HAIL WILL 
BE POSSIBLE.


LAT...LON 3912 7870 3894 7870 3901 7909 3908 7905
TIME...MOT...LOC 2312Z 287DEG 37KT 3896 7877

$$


HTS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 4:41 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementLWXMineral34 min
Mar 23, 6:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXGrant, Hardy, Pendleton48 min
Mar 23, 6:20 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementLWXMineral40 min
Mar 23, 6:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXHampshire, Mineral, Morgan23 min
Mar 23, 6:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXGrant, Hardy, Pendleton35 min
Mar 23, 7:03 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementLWXBerkeley, Hampshire, Morgan42 min
Mar 23, 7:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXHampshire, Hardy50 min
Mar 23, 7:34 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementLWXJefferson56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in West 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.