Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2014
Tornado Watch 24
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 21, 2014, 10:39 AM EST for 4 states. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 21, 2014, 10:39 AM EST (15:39 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 21, 2014, 4:02 PM EST
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 92 counties
Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE, Sussex County, DE, Anne Arundel County, MD, Baltimore County, MD, Calvert County, MD, Caroline County, MD, Cecil County, MD, Charles County, MD, City of Baltimore, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Harford County, MD, Howard County, MD, Kent County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Queen Anne's County, MD, Saint Mary's County, MD, Somerset County, MD, Talbot County, MD, Wicomico County, MD, Worcester County, MD, Bertie County, NC, Camden County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Gates County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Accomack County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Arlington County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King George County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA, York County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:40 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.
Warnings issued inside it
17 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 11:28 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Northampton | 32 min |
| Feb 21, 11:39 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover and 8 more | 36 min |
| Feb 21, 11:59 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Northampton | 46 min |
| Feb 21, 12:02 PM EST | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Essex, Richmond, Westmoreland | 28 min |
| Feb 21, 12:04 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, City of Baltimore | 56 min |
| Feb 21, 12:04 PM EST | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, Sussex | 26 min |
| Feb 21, 12:11 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Calvert, Saint Mary's | 64 min |
| Feb 21, 12:13 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Charles City, Essex, Hanover, Henrico, James City, King and Queen and 9 more | 32 min |
| Feb 21, 12:26 PM EST | Tornado Warning | LWX | Calvert, Saint Mary's | 49 min |
| Feb 21, 12:32 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | New Castle | 58 min |
| Feb 21, 12:43 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Charles City, Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, Lancaster and 10 more | 47 min |
| Feb 21, 12:44 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Dorchester, Wicomico | 31 min |
| Feb 21, 12:55 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PHI | Kent, Sussex | 65 min |
| Feb 21, 1:16 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico | 29 min |
| Feb 21, 1:30 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Somerset, Worcester | 45 min |
| Feb 21, 1:54 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Camden, Currituck, Gates, Pasquotank | 36 min |
| Feb 21, 2:28 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach | 47 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 12:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 141 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 599 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 206 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 212 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
344
WWUS20 KWNS 211543
SEL4
SPC WW 211543
DCZ000-DEZ000-MDZ000-NCZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-212200-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 24
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1040 AM EST FRI FEB 21 2014
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DELAWARE
CENTRAL AND EASTERN MARYLAND
NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
CENTRAL AND EASTERN VIRGINIA
COASTAL WATERS
* EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1040 AM UNTIL
500 PM EST.
* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
SEVERAL TORNADOES POSSIBLE
NUMEROUS DAMAGING WIND GUSTS LIKELY WITH A FEW SIGNIFICANT GUSTS
TO 75 MPH POSSIBLE
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF
ROANOKE RAPIDS NORTH CAROLINA TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOVER
DELAWARE. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 22...WW 23...
DISCUSSION...PRE-FRONTAL TSTMS/SQLN NOW IN S CNTRL VA EXPECTED
ACCELERATE ENEWD THROUGH LATER TODAY WHILE DEVELOPING NWD IN
RESPONSE TO BOTH SFC HEATING AND APPROACH OF SECONDARY UPR VORT NOW
PIVOTING NE ACROSS THE UPR OH VLY. ASSOCIATED DESTABILIZATION AND
STRENGTHENING OF WIND FIELD SUGGEST LIKELIHOOD FOR EMBEDDED
LEWPS/SMALL BOWS WITH A RISK FOR DMGG WIND AND...ESPECIALLY OVER SE
VA...NE NC...AND THE DELMARVA PENINSULA...TORNADOES.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 400.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22055.
...CORFIDISPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 12:16 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Kent, New Castle, Sussex | 89 min |
| Feb 21, 2:07 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Sussex | 53 min |
| Feb 21, 12:38 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and 7 more | 3 hr |
| Feb 20, 10:29 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Swain | 61 min |
| Feb 20, 10:47 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and 2 more | 6 hr |
| Feb 21, 3:11 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 14 more | 94 min |
| Feb 21, 8:57 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Bladen, Caswell, Chatham, Columbus, Cumberland and 22 more | 63 min |
| Feb 21, 10:02 AM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alamance, Bladen, Brunswick, Chatham, Columbus, Cumberland and 24 more | 6 hr |
| Feb 21, 11:05 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus and 27 more | 55 min |
| Feb 21, 12:15 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Duplin, Greene and 9 more | 5 hr |
| Feb 21, 1:14 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan and 19 more | 61 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2014Tornado Watches in Maryland, 2014Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2014Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.