Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Morristown, TN

April 9, 2011Washington County, Virginia

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 9, 2011, 2:53 PM EDT for Washington County, Virginia. It was in force for 24 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: Apr 9, 2011, 2:53 PM EDT (18:53 UTC)
Expired: Apr 9, 2011, 3:17 PM EDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Morristown, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Washington County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:57 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
Apr 9, 3:00 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Glade Spring, VA	QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY DISPATCH.
Apr 9, 3:01 PM EDT	HAIL 2.75	Glade Spring, VA	GOLF BALL TO BASEBALL SIZE HAIL IN GLADE SPRING...REPORTED BY DISPATCH

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
Apr 9, 12:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr
Apr 9, 2:00 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 192 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 169 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 256 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.

952 
WFUS54 KMRX 091853
TORMRX
VAC191-091930-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0013.110409T1853Z-110409T1930Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
253 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT

* AT 251 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF ABINGDON. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING
  EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF WASHINGTON
  COUNTY...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS GLADE SPRING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT
WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAME AREA.

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. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM THIS EVENING.

&&

LAT...LON 3669 8198 3687 8200 3687 8196 3687 8194
      3688 8192 3689 8179 3679 8169 3671 8165
      3669 8165
TIME...MOT...LOC 1853Z 267DEG 36KT 3679 8188

$$

DMG

2 follow-up statements

814 
WWUS54 KMRX 091903
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
303 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

VAC191-091930-
/O.CON.KMRX.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-110409T1930Z/
WASHINGTON VA-
303 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 330 PM EDT FOR
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 259 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR GLADE SPRING...OR
6 MILES SOUTH OF SALTVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
  WASHINGTON COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3669 8198 3687 8200 3687 8196 3687 8194
      3688 8192 3689 8179 3679 8169 3671 8165
      3669 8165
TIME...MOT...LOC 1903Z 267DEG 36KT 3679 8175

$$

17

971 
WWUS54 KMRX 091917
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
317 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

VAC191-091926-
/O.CAN.KMRX.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-110409T1930Z/
WASHINGTON VA-
317 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

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

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.

LAT...LON 3669 8198 3687 8200 3687 8196 3687 8194
      3688 8192 3689 8179 3679 8169 3671 8165
      3669 8165
TIME...MOT...LOC 1916Z 267DEG 36KT 3679 8159

$$

17

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 9, 12:46 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Russell, Washington, Wise	59 min
Apr 9, 2:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Russell, Washington, City of Bristol	51 min
Apr 9, 3:37 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MRX	Wise, City of Norton	38 min
Apr 9, 3:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Lee, Scott	64 min
Apr 9, 4:00 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MRX	Lee	45 min
Apr 9, 4:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MRX	Russell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol	57 min

Nearby

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