Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 68, NWS Blacksburg, VA

September 5, 2011Bland County, Pulaski County, Wythe County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at Sep 5, 2011, 7:14 PM EDT for Bland County, Pulaski County, Wythe County, Virginia. It was in force for 31 min. 1 report 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: Sep 5, 2011, 7:14 PM EDT (23:14 UTC)
Expired: Sep 5, 2011, 7:45 PM EDT
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Bland County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Wythe County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:15 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
Sep 5, 7:34 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 Wnw Max Meadows, VA	ONE LARGE TREE FELL AND TOOK DOWN TWO POWER LINES ON GROVE STREET

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
Sep 5, 6:29 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 135 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: 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.

348 
WFUS51 KRNK 052314
TORRNK
VAC021-155-197-052345-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0068.110905T2314Z-110905T2345Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN PULASKI COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
  NORTHERN WYTHE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
  CENTRAL BLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT.

* AT 711 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  WYTHEVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  WYTHEVILLE...
  COLEMAN STORE...
  MAX MEADOWS...
  GUNTON PARK...
  PULASKI...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 3703 8128 3716 8086 3715 8086 3716 8084
      3690 8073 3686 8120
TIME...MOT...LOC 2314Z 251DEG 33KT 3694 8110

$$

AMS

1 follow-up statement

030 
WWUS51 KRNK 052332
SVSRNK

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

VAC021-155-197-052345-
/O.CON.KRNK.TO.W.0068.000000T0000Z-110905T2345Z/
PULASKI VA-WYTHE VA-BLAND VA-
732 PM EDT MON SEP 5 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN PULASKI...NORTHEASTERN WYTHE AND EASTERN BLAND
COUNTIES...

AT 729 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR MAX MEADOWS...
MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MAX MEADOWS...
  GUNTON PARK...
  PULASKI...

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 3716 8086 3715 8086 3716 8084 3690 8073
      3687 8107 3707 8114
TIME...MOT...LOC 2333Z 251DEG 30KT 3698 8095

$$

AMS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 4, 9:30 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Bath	30 min
Sep 5, 4:48 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Henry, Pittsylvania	27 min
Sep 5, 5:31 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Carroll, Grayson, City of Galax	29 min
Sep 5, 6:31 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Montgomery, Roanoke and 2 more	59 min
Sep 5, 6:34 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Pittsylvania	56 min
Sep 5, 6:42 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Halifax	33 min
Sep 5, 6:54 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Carroll, Floyd, Patrick	36 min
Sep 5, 7:16 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Charlotte, Halifax	29 min
Sep 5, 7:25 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Botetourt	35 min
Sep 5, 7:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Bland, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, City of Radford	35 min
Sep 5, 7:57 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RNK	Roanoke, City of Roanoke, City of Salem	3 hr

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.