Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 66, NWS Blacksburg, VA

September 5, 2011Halifax County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at Sep 5, 2011, 6:42 PM EDT for Halifax County, Virginia. It was in force for 33 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 5, 2011, 6:42 PM EDT (22:42 UTC)
Expired
Sep 5, 2011, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Halifax County, VA

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:45 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Sep 5, 6:29 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 88 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2011-09-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 144 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2011-09-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 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
144 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
588 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

742 
WFUS51 KRNK 052242
TORRNK
VAC083-052315-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0066.110905T2242Z-110905T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
642 PM EDT MON SEP 5 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN HALIFAX COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT.

* AT 637 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR ALTON...OR
  NEAR TURBEVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ALTON...
  CLUSTER SPRINGS...
  SOUTH BOSTON...
  DRYBURG...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO...PLEASE RELAY YOUR SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS
TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE AT...1...8 6
6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM EDT TUESDAY MORNING
FOR NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3669 7867 3667 7870 3663 7870 3654 7884
      3654 7903 3665 7905 3686 7878 3675 7868
      3674 7869 3671 7867 3670 7864 3668 7863
TIME...MOT...LOC 2242Z 228DEG 23KT 3659 7895

$$

AMS
1 follow-up statement
492 
WWUS51 KRNK 052256
SVSRNK

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
656 PM EDT MON SEP 5 2011

VAC083-052315-
/O.CON.KRNK.TO.W.0066.000000T0000Z-110905T2315Z/
HALIFAX VA-
656 PM EDT MON SEP 5 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN HALIFAX COUNTY...

AT 651 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR CLUSTER SPRINGS...
OR NEAR SOUTH BOSTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CLUSTER SPRINGS...
  SOUTH BOSTON...
  DRYBURG...

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM EDT TUESDAY MORNING
FOR NORTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3668 7863 3669 7867 3667 7870 3663 7870
      3654 7884 3658 7896 3667 7902 3686 7878
      3675 7868 3674 7869 3671 7867 3670 7864
TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 230DEG 23KT 3665 7886

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 4, 9:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKBath30 min
Sep 5, 4:48 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKHenry, Pittsylvania27 min
Sep 5, 5:31 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCarroll, Grayson, City of Galax29 min
Sep 5, 6:31 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKBotetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Montgomery, Roanoke and 2 more59 min
Sep 5, 6:34 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKBedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Pittsylvania56 min
Sep 5, 6:54 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCarroll, Floyd, Patrick36 min
Sep 5, 7:14 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBland, Pulaski, Wythe31 min
Sep 5, 7:16 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKCharlotte, Halifax29 min
Sep 5, 7:25 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRNKBotetourt35 min
Sep 5, 7:40 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBland, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, City of Radford35 min
Sep 5, 7:57 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRNKRoanoke, City of Roanoke, City of Salem3 hr

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.