Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2014

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Baltimore/Washington

October 15, 2014Arlington County, Fairfax County, City of Alexandria, Virginia; Prince George's County, Maryland

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Oct 15, 2014, 12:25 PM EDT for Arlington County, Fairfax County, City of Alexandria, Virginia; Prince George's County, Maryland. It was in force for 13 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
Oct 15, 2014, 12:25 PM EDT (16:25 UTC)
Expired
Oct 15, 2014, 12:38 PM EDT
In force
13 min
Issued by
NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Prince George's County, MD, Arlington County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, Fairfax County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:27 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
Oct 15, 12:25 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG1 Wnw National Harbor, VALARGE TREE LIMB DOWN IN 700 BLOCK OF SOUTH ALFRED ST

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

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 35 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2014-10-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 157 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2014-10-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 311 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
157 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
660 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
297 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

989 
WFUS51 KLWX 151625
TORLWX
DCC001-MDC033-VAC013-059-510-151700-
/O.NEW.KLWX.TO.W.0021.141015T1625Z-141015T1700Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1225 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN ARLINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA...
  WESTERN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND...
  EASTERN CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA...
  EASTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 100 PM EDT

* AT 1223 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS NEAR HUNTINGTON...AND WAS MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT...
  CRYSTAL CITY...
  US CAPITOL...
  NATIONALS PARK...
  ANACOSTIA...
  CORAL HILLS...
  GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY...
  DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON...
  HOWARD UNIVERSITY...
  RFK STADIUM...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING AND AVOID WINDOWS. IF OUTDOORS OR IN A MOBILE HOME OR
VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT TAKE SHELTER UNDER HIGHWAY OVERPASSES. AS A LAST
RESORT...EITHER PARK AND STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE...OR ABANDON YOUR
VEHICLE AND LAY FLAT IN A LOW SPOT.

&&

LAT...LON 3876 7705 3879 7710 3894 7703 3888 7691
TIME...MOT...LOC 1625Z 202DEG 29KT 3881 7705

$$
1 follow-up statement
177 
WWUS51 KLWX 151638
SVSLWX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1238 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014

DCC001-MDC033-VAC013-059-510-151647-
/O.CAN.KLWX.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-141015T1700Z/
ARLINGTON VA-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-PRINCE GEORGES MD-
CITY OF ALEXANDRIA VA-FAIRFAX VA-
1238 PM EDT WED OCT 15 2014

...THE TORNADO WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA...
FAIRFAX...PRINCE GEORGES AND ARLINGTON COUNTIES AND THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA...

THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED. THUS THE
TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A WIND OBSERVATION OF 57 MPH WAS RECORDED IN ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA AT 
1225 PM IN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. 

LAT...LON 3876 7705 3879 7710 3894 7703 3888 7691
TIME...MOT...LOC 1637Z 202DEG 29KT 3890 7700

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 15, 3:30 AM EDTFlood WatchLWX14 hr
Oct 15, 4:32 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXRockingham58 min
Oct 15, 5:13 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXFrederick47 min
Oct 15, 6:16 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLWXClarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and 2 more59 min
Oct 15, 6:21 AM EDTTornado WarningLWXClarke, Frederick, Warren24 min
Oct 15, 10:17 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningLWXAlbemarle, Greene, Nelson6 hr
Oct 15, 11:34 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX56 min
Oct 15, 12:05 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX55 min
Oct 15, 1:46 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX59 min
Oct 15, 2:04 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX56 min
Oct 15, 3:12 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX93 min
Oct 15, 3:48 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningLWX87 min
Oct 15, 7:30 AM EDTCoastal Flood AdvisoryLWXAnne Arundel4 hr
Oct 15, 1:04 PM EDTTornado WarningLWXAnne Arundel, Howard, Prince George's26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2014Tornado Warnings in Maryland, 2014Tornado Warnings in District of Columbia, 2014Every tornado warning in 2014Tornadoes in 2014

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.