Alert archive / West Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Charleston, WV

March 2, 20124 counties in West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 7:31 PM EST for 4 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 44 min. 4 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, 7:31 PM EST (00:31 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 8:15 PM EST
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Lincoln County, WV, Logan County, WV, Mingo County, WV, Wayne County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:31 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, 7:45 PM ESTHAIL 1.5Kermit, WV
Mar 2, 7:45 PM ESTTORNADO2 Ese Kermit, WVNWS SURVEY TEAM CONFIRMS EF2 TORNADO. 280 FT RADIO TOWER COLLAPSED.
Mar 2, 8:00 PM ESTHAIL 1.7515 Sse East Lynn Lake, WV
Mar 2, 8:05 PM ESTHAIL 14 Nw Chief Logan State, WV

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, 4:19 PM ESTTornado Watch PDSSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 216 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 25 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 285 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
25 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
100 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
316 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.

832 
WFUS51 KRLX 030031
TORRLX
WVC043-045-059-099-030115-
/O.NEW.KRLX.TO.W.0008.120303T0031Z-120303T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
731 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  NORTHWESTERN LOGAN COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  NORTHWESTERN MINGO COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN WAYNE COUNTY IN WEST VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 815 PM EST

* AT 727 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 36 MILES WEST OF
  CHIEF LOGAN STATE PARK...OR 8 MILES EAST OF PAINTSVILLE...MOVING   
  EAST NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CHAPMANVILLE.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

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.

PLEASE REPORT TORNADOES...HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TO THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO
SO SAFELY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST OHIO AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND
CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3806 8200 3800 8196 3799 8198 3797 8195
      3788 8191 3780 8239 3785 8243 3788 8243
      3790 8245 3790 8248 3792 8248
TIME...MOT...LOC 0031Z 256DEG 51KT 3783 8260

$$

30

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 7:15 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXCabell, Lincoln, Putnam, Wayne34 min
Mar 2, 7:27 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBraxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Kanawha, Lewis and 4 more36 min
Mar 2, 7:42 PM ESTTornado WarningRLXBoone, Kanawha, Lincoln33 min
Mar 2, 7:45 PM ESTTornado WarningRLXBraxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Nicholas, Roane16 min
Mar 2, 7:57 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBoone, Braxton, Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha and 9 more3 hr
Mar 2, 8:05 PM ESTTornado WarningRLXBoone, Logan25 min
Mar 2, 8:16 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBoone, Cabell, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo and 3 more119 min
Mar 2, 8:20 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBoone, Logan25 min
Mar 2, 8:29 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBoone, Fayette, Kanawha, Raleigh31 min
Mar 2, 8:30 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPocahontas, Randolph, Webster45 min
Mar 2, 8:38 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXMingo52 min
Mar 2, 8:56 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXClay, Fayette, Kanawha, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Raleigh and 2 more2 hr
Mar 2, 8:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXFayette, Nicholas, Pocahontas34 min
Mar 2, 9:11 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXBoone, Logan, Mingo, Wyoming49 min
Mar 2, 9:30 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRLXMcDowell60 min
Mar 2, 10:28 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRLXBoone, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo and 4 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado 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.