Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 69, NWS Blacksburg, VA

September 5, 2011Charlotte County, Halifax County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at Sep 5, 2011, 7:16 PM EDT for Charlotte County, Halifax County, Virginia. It was in force for 29 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, 7:16 PM EDT (23:16 UTC)
Expired: Sep 5, 2011, 7:45 PM EDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Charlotte County, VA, Halifax County, VA

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 125 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.

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, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 90 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.

654 
WFUS51 KRNK 052316
TORRNK
VAC037-083-052345-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0069.110905T2316Z-110905T2345Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT.

* AT 711 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR DRYBURG...
  OR 7 MILES EAST OF SOUTH BOSTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

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.

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 3689 7848 3671 7863 3667 7863 3669 7865
      3669 7867 3667 7870 3663 7870 3660 7875
      3676 7891 3709 7848 3708 7844
TIME...MOT...LOC 2316Z 233DEG 24KT 3673 7874

$$

2 follow-up statements

950 
WWUS51 KRNK 052337
SVSRNK

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

VAC037-083-052345-
/O.CON.KRNK.TO.W.0069.000000T0000Z-110905T2345Z/
HALIFAX VA-CHARLOTTE VA-
737 PM EDT MON SEP 5 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR EASTERN
HALIFAX AND SOUTHEASTERN CHARLOTTE COUNTIES...

AT 734 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR REDOAK...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  REDOAK...
  WYLLIESBURG...

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.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3689 7848 3688 7849 3671 7863 3667 7863
      3669 7865 3669 7867 3679 7878 3709 7848
      3708 7844
TIME...MOT...LOC 2337Z 233DEG 24KT 3678 7862

$$

AMS

108 
WWUS51 KRNK 052342
SVSRNK

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

VAC037-083-052352-
/O.EXP.KRNK.TO.W.0069.000000T0000Z-110905T2345Z/
HALIFAX VA-CHARLOTTE VA-
742 PM EDT MON SEP 5 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN HALIFAX AND SOUTHEASTERN CHARLOTTE
COUNTIES EXPIRES AT 745 PM EDT...

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG AT...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4. ONCE AGAIN
THAT NUMBER IS 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 3689 7848 3688 7849 3671 7863 3667 7863
      3669 7865 3669 7867 3679 7878 3709 7848
      3708 7844
TIME...MOT...LOC 2342Z 233DEG 24KT 3680 7859

$$

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, 7:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Bland, Pulaski, Wythe	31 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.