Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 36, NWS Morristown, TN

March 2, 2012Lee County, Virginia

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 6:33 PM EST for Lee County, Virginia. It was in force for 42 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
Mar 2, 2012, 6:33 PM EST (23:33 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 7:15 PM EST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Lee County, VA

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:36 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
Mar 2, 7:00 PM ESTHAIL 1Jonesville, VA

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
Mar 2, 3:19 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 304 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 217 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1876 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
78 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
217 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
254 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

284 
WFUS54 KMRX 022333
TORMRX
VAC105-030015-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0036.120302T2333Z-120303T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
633 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LEE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 715 PM EST

* AT 629 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF
  MIDDLESBORO. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING EAST AT 55
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  JONESVILLE...PENNINGTON GAP...CUMBERLAND GAP...EWING...ROSE HILL
  AND ST. CHARLES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT USE HIGHWAY OVERPASSES FOR SHELTER. OVERPASSES DO NOT PROVIDE
PROTECTION FROM TORNADIC WINDS. VEHICLES STOPPED UNDER BRIDGES BLOCK
TRAFFIC AND PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GETTING OUT OF THE STORM'S PATH AND
TO SHELTER. IF YOU CANNOT DRIVE AWAY FROM THE TORNADO...GET OUT OF
YOUR VEHICLE AND LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AS A LAST RESORT.

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 1100 PM EST FRIDAY EVENING 
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3685 8301 3673 8294 3662 8301 3659 8354
      3660 8367 3663 8364 3667 8353 3667 8341
      3671 8335 3675 8315 3681 8311 3683 8311
      3686 8307
TIME...MOT...LOC 2332Z 255DEG 47KT 3666 8374

$$

TG
1 follow-up statement
343 
WWUS54 KMRX 022359 RRA
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
659 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

VAC105-030015-
/O.CON.KMRX.TO.W.0036.000000T0000Z-120303T0015Z/
LEE VA-
659 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM EST FOR LEE
COUNTY...

AT 650 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR EWING...OR 11 
MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARLAN...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH. 

THIS TORNADIC STORM HAS BEEN SKIRTING THE KENTUCKY VIRGINIA STATE 
LINE...AND WILL MAINLY AFFECT THE NORTHWESTERN MOST PARTS OF LEE 
COUNTY VIRGINIA. IN ADDITION TO A TORNADO...HAIL OF GOLF BALL SIZE 
OR LARGER IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  JONESVILLE...PENNINGTON GAP...ROSE HILL AND ST. CHARLES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD.

&&

LAT...LON 3685 8301 3673 8294 3662 8301 3660 8341
      3664 8345 3667 8349 3667 8341 3671 8335
      3675 8315 3681 8311 3683 8311 3686 8307
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 255DEG 47KT 3673 8334

$$

TG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 10:45 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Washington30 min
Mar 2, 10:58 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol32 min
Mar 2, 10:59 AM ESTFlood WatchMRXLee, Russell, Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Bristol and 1 more14 hr
Mar 2, 11:22 AM ESTTornado WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol38 min
Mar 2, 12:25 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXLee35 min
Mar 2, 12:51 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXLee, Scott, Wise39 min
Mar 2, 1:26 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Norton34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.