Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 48, NWS Morristown, TN

March 2, 2012Lee County, Virginia; Claiborne County, Hancock County, Hawkins County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 8:21 PM EST for Lee County, Virginia; Claiborne County, Hancock County, Hawkins County, Tennessee. It was in force for 39 min. 5 reports 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, 8:21 PM EST (01:21 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 9:00 PM EST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Claiborne County, TN, Hancock County, TN, Hawkins County, TN, Lee County, VA

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:23 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, 8:23 PM ESTTORNADOHarrogate-Shawanee, TNEF2 TORNADO WITH 120 MPH MAX WINDS. PATH WIDTH OF 250 YARD. SEVERAL ROOFS BLOWN OFF OF HOMES.
Mar 2, 8:29 PM ESTTORNADOHarrogate-Shawanee, TNPOSSIBLE TORNADO...DISPATCH REPORTED TREES DOWN AND A FEW HOUSES DAMAGED.
Mar 2, 8:42 PM ESTTORNADOEwing, VAPOSSIBLE TORNADO IN EWING...DISPATCH REPORTING A HOME WAS DESTROYED.
Mar 2, 8:45 PM ESTTORNADOEwing, VA*** 1 INJ *** EF1 TORNADO WITH 110 MPH MAX WINDS. PATH LENGTH OF 4.75 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 200 YARDS. DAMAGED A HOME AND UP-ROOTED TREES.
Mar 2, 9:10 PM ESTTORNADO3 Se Jonesville, VASURVEY FOUND AN EF-1 WITH MAX WINDS OF 95 MPH. PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. PATH LENGTH OF 1 MILE.

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 303 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2012-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 262 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2012-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 150 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
262 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-100 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1382 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
150 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
188 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

271 
WFUS54 KMRX 030121
TORMRX
TNC025-067-073-VAC105-030200-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0048.120303T0121Z-120303T0200Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CLAIBORNE COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  HANCOCK COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  HAWKINS COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  LEE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 900 PM EST

* AT 819 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF MIDDLESBORO. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING
  EAST AT 55 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SNEEDVILLE...JONESVILLE...HARROGATE-SHAWANEE...TAZEWELL...ARTHUR...
  CUMBERLAND GAP...EWING...HOWARD QUARTER...EVANSTON...ROSE HILL...
  KYLES FORD AND PATTONSVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST FRIDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3676 8292 3669 8292 3667 8295 3659 8298
      3659 8292 3644 8292 3645 8391 3659 8392
      3659 8369 3663 8364 3667 8353 3667 8341
      3673 8326
TIME...MOT...LOC 0120Z 265DEG 47KT 3655 8377

$$

DH
1 follow-up statement
702 
WWUS54 KMRX 030147
SVSMRX

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

TNC025-067-073-VAC105-030200-
/O.CON.KMRX.TO.W.0048.000000T0000Z-120303T0200Z/
CLAIBORNE TN-HANCOCK TN-HAWKINS TN-LEE VA-
847 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EST FOR LEE...
HAWKINS...HANCOCK AND CLAIBORNE COUNTIES...

AT 842 PM EST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION.  A TORNADIC DEBRIS 
SIGNATURE WAS ALSO INDICATED WITH THIS STORM NEAR EWING. THIS 
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR EWING...OR 14 MILES WEST OF 
SNEEDVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SNEEDVILLE...JONESVILLE...EVANSTON...ROSE HILL...KYLES FORD AND
  PATTONSVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST FRIDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3669 8292 3667 8295 3660 8298 3659 8298
      3659 8292 3644 8292 3645 8391 3659 8392
      3659 8369 3663 8364 3667 8353 3667 8341
      3673 8326 3676 8293
TIME...MOT...LOC 0145Z 262DEG 44KT 3660 8340

$$

DH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 7:14 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXLee, Scott, Wise, City of Norton46 min
Mar 2, 8:56 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXLee, Scott49 min
Mar 2, 9:45 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol60 min
Mar 2, 9:59 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXScott46 min
Mar 2, 10:44 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRussell, Scott, Washington, City of Bristol46 min
Mar 2, 7:02 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXBlount, Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier43 min
Mar 2, 7:06 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXPolk39 min
Mar 2, 7:10 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBradley, Hamilton50 min
Mar 2, 7:10 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCampbell, Scott50 min
Mar 2, 7:40 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCocke, Sevier35 min
Mar 2, 7:48 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCampbell, Claiborne, Scott42 min
Mar 2, 7:49 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXBradley, Hamilton, Polk26 min
Mar 2, 8:07 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXBledsoe, Rhea38 min
Mar 2, 8:10 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXPolk35 min
Mar 2, 8:29 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson, Campbell, Morgan, Scott46 min
Mar 2, 8:35 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXPolk40 min
Mar 2, 8:38 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXLoudon, Morgan, Rhea, Roane37 min
Mar 2, 9:05 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXAnderson, Knox, Morgan, Roane40 min
Mar 2, 9:14 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Scott, Union46 min
Mar 2, 9:41 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXAnderson, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier, Union34 min
Mar 2, 9:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBlount, Knox, Sevier22 min
Mar 2, 10:05 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson and 1 more25 min
Mar 2, 10:27 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCocke, Greene, Hamblen, Sevier, Unicoi48 min
Mar 2, 10:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXUnicoi33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 2012Tornado 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.