Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 89, NWS Morristown, TN

May 24, 2011Russell County, Scott County, Virginia

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at May 24, 2011, 4:47 PM EDT for Russell County, Scott County, Virginia. It was in force for 43 min. 3 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 24, 2011, 4:47 PM EDT (20:47 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 2011, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Russell County, VA, Scott County, VA

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:48 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
May 24, 4:50 PM EDTHAIL 0.5Dungannon, VA
May 24, 5:10 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUD5 Se Castlewood, VAEARLIER REPORTED TORNADO HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED...EMA COULD NOT FIND ANY SIGNS OF DAMAGE IN THE REPORTED AREA.
May 24, 5:10 PM EDTTORNADO5 Se Castlewood, VAPOSSIBLE TORNADO IN THE BOLTON AREA.

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
May 24, 1:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 233 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 2011-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 451 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2011-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 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
451 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-124 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1350 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
99 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

287 
WFUS54 KMRX 242047
TORMRX
VAC167-169-242130-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0089.110524T2047Z-110524T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
447 PM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RUSSELL COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...
  SCOTT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 444 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 11 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF NORTON. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING EAST
  AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  CASTLEWOOD.

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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3690 8219 3678 8218 3678 8252 3687 8252
TIME...MOT...LOC 2048Z 264DEG 24KT 3683 8245

$$

DGS
1 follow-up statement
287 
WWUS54 KMRX 242105
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
505 PM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

VAC167-169-242130-
/O.CON.KMRX.TO.W.0089.000000T0000Z-110524T2130Z/
RUSSELL VA-SCOTT VA-
505 PM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR SCOTT AND
RUSSELL COUNTIES...

AT 502 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR CASTLEWOOD...OR 14
MILES SOUTHWEST OF LEBANON...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF SOUTHWEST RUSSELL COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3690 8219 3678 8218 3678 8252 3687 8252
TIME...MOT...LOC 2105Z 273DEG 30KT 3681 8227

$$
DGS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 10:00 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXLee, Scott, Wise, City of Norton45 min
May 24, 10:33 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol57 min
May 24, 11:29 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXWashington32 min
May 24, 3:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXWise, City of Norton47 min
May 24, 3:53 PM EDTTornado WarningMRXLee, Scott, Wise27 min
May 24, 4:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Wise19 min
May 24, 4:28 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMRXLee, Russell, Scott, Wise, City of Norton6 hr
May 24, 4:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXLee, Wise48 min
May 24, 5:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXLee63 min
May 24, 5:14 PM EDTTornado WarningMRXRussell, Washington31 min
May 24, 5:14 PM EDTTornado WarningMRXScott, Wise34 min
May 24, 5:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXLee, Scott53 min
May 24, 5:35 PM EDTTornado WarningMRXLee, Scott40 min
May 24, 5:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Wise31 min
May 24, 5:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXLee, Scott61 min
May 24, 6:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol27 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.