Alert archive / Virginia / Flash Flood Watches in 2012

Flash Flood Watch 5, NWS Baltimore/Washington

July 14, 201223 counties in Virginia; 5 counties in West Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this flash flood watch at Jul 14, 2012, 11:44 AM EDT for 23 counties in Virginia; 5 counties in West Virginia. It took effect at Jul 14, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT. It was in force for 10 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 14, 2012, 11:44 AM EDT (15:44 UTC)
In effect from: Jul 14, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT
Expired: Jul 14, 2012, 10:11 PM EDT
In force: 10 hr
Issued by: NWS Baltimore/Washington
Flood severity: None

All 28 counties

City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, City of Staunton, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA, City of Winchester, VA, Clarke County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Frederick County, VA, Greene County, VA, Highland County, VA, King George County, VA, Madison County, VA, Nelson County, VA, Orange County, VA, Page County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Warren County, VA, Grant County, WV, Hampshire County, WV, Hardy County, WV, Mineral County, WV, Pendleton County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:44 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 nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 96 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: 89 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 581 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 150 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 192 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood watch went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood watch went out at Jul 14, 10:32 AM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 14, 10:32 AM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 14, 10:41 AM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 14, 6:53 AM EDT, 4 hours 51 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 14, 7:16 AM EDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 14, 8:08 AM EDT, 3 hours 36 minutes before

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The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 14, 1:57 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		93 min
Jul 14, 2:07 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		83 min
Jul 14, 3:26 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	LWX		94 min
Jul 14, 3:31 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Rockingham, City of Harrisonburg	44 min
Jul 14, 4:07 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Augusta, Rockingham, City of Harrisonburg	3 hr
Jul 14, 4:12 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Highland	48 min
Jul 14, 4:34 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	King George	86 min
Jul 14, 4:46 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Rockingham, City of Harrisonburg	44 min
Jul 14, 4:50 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Rockingham, City of Harrisonburg	3 hr
Jul 14, 4:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Augusta, Rockingham, City of Harrisonburg	34 min
Jul 14, 5:16 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Arlington, Fairfax, City of Alexandria, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church	59 min
Jul 14, 5:50 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	City of Fredericksburg	40 min
Jul 14, 5:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg	46 min
Jul 14, 6:03 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg	3 hr
Jul 14, 6:07 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Greene, Orange, Spotsylvania	38 min
Jul 14, 6:16 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	City of Waynesboro	44 min
Jul 14, 6:19 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Arlington, Fairfax, City of Alexandria, City of Falls Church	41 min
Jul 14, 6:38 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Albemarle, Greene, Madison, Orange	3 hr
Jul 14, 6:49 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Highland	81 min
Jul 14, 6:53 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, City of Fredericksburg	3 hr
Jul 14, 6:59 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Rappahannock	46 min
Jul 14, 7:16 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Albemarle, City of Charlottesville	44 min
Jul 14, 7:44 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Fauquier	46 min
Jul 14, 6:53 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Howard	52 min
Jul 14, 7:16 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Baltimore, Howard, City of Baltimore	44 min
Jul 14, 8:08 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Anne Arundel, City of Baltimore	37 min
Jul 14, 2:37 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Calvert	53 min
Jul 14, 3:47 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Calvert	58 min
Jul 14, 4:04 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	LWX	Charles, Prince George's	90 min
Jul 14, 2:46 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Pendleton	44 min
Jul 14, 6:32 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Pendleton	43 min
Jul 14, 7:32 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	LWX	Mineral	43 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Watches in Virginia, 2012 Flash Flood Watches in West Virginia, 2012 Every flash flood watch in 2012

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.