Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2011

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 131, NWS Morristown, TN

May 10, 2011Lee County, Scott County, Wise County, Virginia

NWS Morristown, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 10, 2011, 10:30 PM EDT for Lee County, Scott County, Wise County, Virginia. It was in force for 42 min. 2 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: May 10, 2011, 10:30 PM EDT (02:30 UTC)
Expired: May 10, 2011, 11:12 PM EDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Morristown, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Lee County, VA, Scott County, VA, Wise County, VA

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:31 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
May 10, 10:45 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	8 Sw Big Stone Gap, VA	ONE TREE DOWN IN OLINGER.
May 10, 10:45 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Big Stone Gap, VA	SEVERAL TREES DOWN.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched 2 storm reports to this severe thunderstorm warning; the first came 15 minutes after it went out.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 10, 3:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 283 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: 694 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -146 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1286 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 109 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 420 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 11.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

930 
WUUS54 KMRX 110230
SVRMRX
VAC105-169-195-110330-
/O.NEW.KMRX.SV.W.0131.110511T0230Z-110511T0330Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1030 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LEE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...
  SCOTT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...
  WISE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 1130 PM EDT

* AT 1029 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
  LYNCH...OR 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WHITESBURG...AND MOVING SOUTH AT
  30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  JONESVILLE...BIG STONE GAP...PENNINGTON GAP...APPALACHIA...ST.
  CHARLES...JASPER...DRYDEN...DUFFIELD AND PATTONSVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS AND LARGE
DAMAGING HAIL. SEEK SHELTER NOW INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS!

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3705 8271 3660 8279 3660 8321 3683 8311
      3686 8307 3685 8301 3689 8289 3693 8286
      3698 8288 3701 8283 3702 8278 3705 8274
TIME...MOT...LOC 0230Z 007DEG 27KT 3696 8292

$$

DGS

2 follow-up statements

751 
WWUS54 KMRX 110244
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1044 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

VAC105-169-195-110330-
/O.CON.KMRX.SV.W.0131.000000T0000Z-110511T0330Z/
SCOTT VA-WISE VA-LEE VA-
1044 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 PM EDT
FOR LEE...WISE AND SCOTT COUNTIES...

AT 1038 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE
HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS
LOCATED NEAR JASPER...OR 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NORTON...MOVING SOUTH
AT 50 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  JONESVILLE...PENNINGTON GAP...DUFFIELD AND PATTONSVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS AND LARGE
DAMAGING HAIL. SEEK SHELTER NOW INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS!

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT 
TUESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3705 8271 3660 8279 3660 8321 3683 8311
      3686 8307 3685 8301 3689 8289 3693 8286
      3698 8288 3701 8283 3702 8278 3705 8274
TIME...MOT...LOC 0243Z 006DEG 45KT 3676 8288

$$

DGS

483 
WWUS54 KMRX 110312
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1112 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

VAC105-169-195-110323-
/O.CAN.KMRX.SV.W.0131.000000T0000Z-110511T0330Z/
SCOTT VA-WISE VA-LEE VA-
1112 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR LEE...WISE AND SCOTT COUNTIES
IS CANCELLED...

THE STORMS THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE EXITED THE WARNED AREA.
THEREFORE...THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3705 8271 3660 8279 3660 8321 3683 8311
      3686 8307 3685 8301 3689 8289 3693 8286
      3698 8288 3701 8283 3702 8278 3705 8274
TIME...MOT...LOC 0313Z 006DEG 45KT 3639 8293

$$
DGS

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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 10, 8:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 8:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
811 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

.DISCUSSION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED MAINLY NORTH AND
NORTHEAST OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING
EAST OF A WEAK WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE AIRMASS IS STILL VERY
UNSTABLE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BUT NAM12 SHOWS CAP MAY BE
STRENGTHENING THIS EVENING. UPDATED FORECAST BUT DID NOT CHANGE
POPS. WILL LIKELY NEED ANOTHER UPDATE TO LOWER POPS NE LATER THIS
EVENING. TEMPERATURES STILL VERY WARM SOUTHWEST. HIGH CLOUD SHIELD
FROM MCS ACTIVITY TO THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST HAS LOWERED
TEMPERATURES OVER NE TN AND SW VA. UPDATE ALREADY SENT.
&&

.AVIATION...CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS NW TO SE ORIENTED QUASI-
STATIONARY FRONT OVER SOUTHWEST VA AND NORTHEAST TN...WITH A
SUMMER-LIKE AIR MASS OVER AREA. HIGH DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER TO MID
60S OVER MOST OF EAST TN. UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE
FORECAST AREA...HOWEVER CONVECTION MOSTLY ALONG BOUNDARY NEAR TRI
THIS EVENING. STILL HAVE VCTS FOR KTRI NEXT FEW HOURS. MVFR
VISIBILITIES DUE TO FOG DEVELOPING LATE TONIGHT TOWARDS SUNRISE AT
ALL TAF SITES.
&&

.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...NONE.
TN...NONE.
VA...NONE.

&&

TD

Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 10:45 AM EDT, 11 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1045 AM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-
005-006-008-111000-
CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS-
SULLIVAN-JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN-
NORTHWEST COCKE-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE-
SOUTHEAST GREENE-WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER-
SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE-LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT-
BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS-
SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN-NORTHWEST MONROE-
SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-LEE-
WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON-
1045 AM EDT (945 AM CDT) TUE MAY 10 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAS LOCATED OVER SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
AND NORTHEAST TENNESSEE TODAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN
REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY
BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND VERY LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL
(OR EVEN LARGER). IN ADDITION...AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO WILL BE
POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST EACH DAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE
AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. THE GREATEST COVERAGE SHOULD BE FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. GIVEN THE TIME OF THE YEAR...A FEW
STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS COULD OCCUR WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

DMG

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 10, 9:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
920 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

VAZ002-006-110145-
RUSSELL VA-WISE VA-
920 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CITY OF NORTON...WISE AND RUSSELL
COUNTIES UNTIL 945 PM EDT...

AT 916 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM GRUNDY TO 12 MILES
NORTHWEST OF WHITESBURG...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THESE
STORMS WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF WISE AND RUSSELL COUNTIES
BETWEEN 930 PM AND 945 PM.

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN EASTERN KENTUCKY. HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING ARE ALSO EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

DGS

Local storm report, May 10, 10:30 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1030 PM EDT TUE MAY 10 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1000 PM     TSTM WND DMG     LEBANON                 36.90N 82.08W
05/10/2011                   RUSSELL            VA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN COUNTY WIDE.

&&

The office that day

Everything else NWS Morristown, TN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 10, 9:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Russell, Washington, Wise, City of Bristol	43 min
May 10, 9:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Scott, Wise, City of Norton	52 min
May 10, 10:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Washington, City of Bristol	39 min
May 10, 10:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Scott, Washington	59 min
May 10, 11:01 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MRX	Lee, Russell, Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Bristol and 1 more	3 hr
May 11, 3:47 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Russell, Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Bristol, City of Norton	41 min
May 11, 4:04 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MRX	Russell, Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Bristol, City of Norton	3 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2011 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.