Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 86, NWS Blacksburg, VA

May 2, 2012Bedford County, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 2012, 7:03 PM EDT for Bedford County, Virginia. It was in force for 42 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: May 2, 2012, 7:03 PM EDT (23:03 UTC)
Expired: May 2, 2012, 7:45 PM EDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Bedford County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:04 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 2, 7:12 PM EDT	HAIL 0.5	Thaxton, VA
May 2, 7:35 PM EDT	HAIL 1	3 W Bedford City, VA
May 2, 7:36 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	Thaxton, VA	GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
May 2, 7:40 PM EDT	HAIL 1	1 Ssw Bedford City, VA	QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES 460 AND 122
May 2, 7:45 PM EDT	HAIL 1.25	3 Wnw D-Day Memorial, VA

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 22 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: 727 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 813 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 113 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

158 
WUUS51 KRNK 022303
SVRRNK
VAC019-515-022345-
/O.NEW.KRNK.SV.W.0086.120502T2303Z-120502T2345Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
703 PM EDT WED MAY 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CITY OF BEDFORD IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA
  CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT.

* AT 700 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN
  AREA OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM THAXTON TO THE CITY OF
  BEDFORD...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL.  THE STORMS
  WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  THAXTON...
  D-DAY MEMORIAL...
  HUDDLESTON...
  CITY OF BEDFORD

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS 
OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS 
ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR 
THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO...PLEASE SEND YOUR REPORTS OF QUARTER OR
LARGER SIZED HAIL...AS WELL AS WIND DAMAGE...INCLUDING TREES OR LARGE
LIMBS DOWNED BY CALLING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT...
1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

&&

LAT...LON 3735 7932 3711 7949 3732 7983 3733 7983
      3735 7979 3738 7978 3738 7979 3742 7976
      3747 7970
TIME...MOT...LOC 2302Z 304DEG 15KT 3733 7964

$$



RAB

2 follow-up statements

759 
WWUS51 KRNK 022324
SVSRNK

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
724 PM EDT WED MAY 2 2012

VAC019-515-022345-
/O.CON.KRNK.SV.W.0086.000000T0000Z-120502T2345Z/
CITY OF BEDFORD VA-BEDFORD VA-
724 PM EDT WED MAY 2 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT
FOR THE CITY OF BEDFORD... CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTY...

AT 717 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE 
HAIL.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BEDFORD CITY AND ALSO NEAR D-DAY 
MEMORIAL...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

AT 712 PM EDT...THE PUBLIC OBSERVED 1/2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL FROM THIS 
STORM NEAR THAXTON. THE STORM HAS INTENSIFIED SINCE THIS TIME AND 
WILL BE CAPABLE ANY MINUTE OF PRODUCING QUARTER...POTENTIALLY 
LARGER-SIZED HAIL AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE WESTERN AREAS OF THE CITY 
OF BEDFORD.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  D-DAY MEMORIAL...
  HUDDLESTON...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS 
OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS 
ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR 
THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

&&

LAT...LON 3728 7970 3732 7974 3736 7971 3739 7961
      3735 7932 3711 7949
TIME...MOT...LOC 2322Z 304DEG 15KT 3728 7955

$$

RAB

294 
WWUS51 KRNK 022351
SVSRNK

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
751 PM EDT WED MAY 2 2012

VAC019-515-022358-
/O.EXP.KRNK.SV.W.0086.000000T0000Z-120502T2345Z/
CITY OF BEDFORD VA-BEDFORD VA-
751 PM EDT WED MAY 2 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE CITY 
OF BEDFORD AND CENTRAL BEDFORD COUNTY UNTIL 745 PM EDT 
EXPIRED...HOWEVER A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED 
FOR THIS SAME AREA AND SOUTHERN BEDFORD COUNTY AS A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM CONTINUES NEAR AND JUST WEST OF THE CITY OF BEDFORD.

SEVERAL REPORTS OF QUARTER TO GOLF BALL-SIZED HAIL HAVE BEEN 
RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC AND STORM SPOTTERS FROM THE WEST SIDE OF 
BEDFORD...PARTICULARLY NEAR THAXTON DURING THE PAST 30 MINUTES. 
WINDS GUSTS TO 60 MPH WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS THIS STORM BEGINS TO 
WEAKEN AND MOVE FURTHER SOUTH THROUGH THE COUNTY.

LAT...LON 3728 7970 3732 7974 3736 7971 3739 7961
      3735 7932 3711 7949
TIME...MOT...LOC 2324Z 304DEG 15KT 3727 7954

$$

RAB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 1, 8:00 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Floyd	30 min
May 2, 5:13 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	City of Martinsville	62 min
May 2, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Henry, Patrick, City of Martinsville	59 min
May 2, 6:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Patrick	26 min
May 2, 6:41 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Bedford	49 min
May 2, 7:09 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Rockbridge	36 min
May 2, 7:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Bedford	59 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.