Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Charleston, WV

February 29, 2012Lawrence County, Kentucky; Wayne County, West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at Feb 29, 2012, 1:54 PM EST for Lawrence County, Kentucky; Wayne County, West Virginia. It was in force for 36 min. 3 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
Feb 29, 2012, 1:54 PM EST (18:54 UTC)
Expired
Feb 29, 2012, 2:30 PM EST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Lawrence County, KY, Wayne County, WV

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:55 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
Feb 29, 2:27 PM ESTHAIL 1.5Charley, KY
Feb 29, 2:35 PM ESTHAIL 0.88Louisa, KY
Feb 29, 2:35 PM ESTHAIL 1.752 Ese Gallup, KY

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
Feb 29, 1:37 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 185 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 2012-02-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 18 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2012-02-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 791 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
18 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-228 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
454 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
791 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
857 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

581 
WFUS51 KRLX 291854
TORRLX
KYC127-WVC099-291930-
/O.NEW.KRLX.TO.W.0001.120229T1854Z-120229T1930Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
154 PM EST WED FEB 29 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LAWRENCE COUNTY IN KENTUCKY...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...YATESVILLE LAKE STATE PARK...
  LOUISA...BLAINE...
  SOUTHERN WAYNE COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 230 PM EST

* AT 146 PM EST...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 22
  MILES WEST OF MARTHA...OR NEAR WEST LIBERTY...MOVING EAST AT 50
  MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CHARLEY...ULYSSES...KIAHSVILLE...DUNLOW...FORT GAY AND EAST LYNN
  LAKE.

.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO 
THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. 

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.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST OHIO AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND
CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3805 8298 3811 8287 3820 8243 3811 8232
      3794 8231 3788 8241 3793 8251 3795 8252
      3795 8256 3787 8262 3799 8291 3799 8296
      3796 8300 3798 8303 3800 8303
TIME...MOT...LOC 1852Z 262DEG 45KT 3790 8319

$$

08

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 29, 10:26 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBoyd, Carter, Greenup, Lawrence34 min
Feb 29, 12:59 PM ESTFlash Flood WatchRLXBoyd, Carter, Greenup, Lawrence9 hr
Feb 29, 1:11 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLawrence34 min
Feb 29, 2:30 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXLawrence60 min
Feb 29, 11:19 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBraxton, Clay, Kanawha, Nicholas, Roane41 min
Feb 29, 11:25 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBarbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie, Taylor50 min
Feb 29, 12:19 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPleasants, Wirt, Wood71 min
Feb 29, 1:26 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison and 5 more57 days
Feb 29, 2:10 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXCalhoun, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Ritchie, Wirt and 1 more45 min
Feb 29, 3:25 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Calhoun, Doddridge, Harrison, Jackson, Mason and 7 more6 hr
Feb 29, 3:29 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBoone, Fayette, Kanawha, Nicholas46 min
Feb 29, 3:35 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBoone, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Raleigh, Wyoming55 min
Feb 29, 4:17 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPocahontas58 min
Feb 29, 6:01 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBoone, Fayette, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Nicholas and 4 more3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 2012Tornado Warnings in West 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.