Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 38, NWS Wakefield, VA

February 24, 20166 counties in Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at Feb 24, 2016, 8:23 PM EST for 6 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 37 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
Feb 24, 2016, 8:23 PM EST (01:23 UTC)
Expired
Feb 24, 2016, 9:00 PM EST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Essex County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:25 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 24, 8:25 PM ESTTORNADO1 Wsw Bayport, VAEF0 WIND DAMAGE AT BOY SCOUT CAMP
Feb 24, 8:28 PM ESTTORNADO1 W Morattico, VADAMAGE TO TREES AND BUILDINGS...POSSIBLE TORNADO
Feb 24, 8:28 PM ESTTORNADO1 W Morattico, VACONFIRMED EF1...DAMAGE TO TREES AND BUILDINGS.
Feb 24, 8:30 PM ESTTORNADO1 W Morattico, VACONFIRMED EF1...DAMAGE TO TREES AND BUILDINGS.
Feb 24, 8:30 PM ESTTORNADO1 W Morattico, VACONFIRMED EF1...DAMAGE TO TREES AND BUILDINGS. UPDATED TO START THE TORNADO MIDDLESEX COUNTY

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 24, 1:46 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 107 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 2016-02-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 62 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 2016-02-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 526 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
62 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-103 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
526 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
595 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

120 
WFUS51 KAKQ 250123
TORAKQ
VAC057-103-119-133-159-193-250200-
/O.NEW.KAKQ.TO.W.0038.160225T0123Z-160225T0200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
823 PM EST WED FEB 24 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA...
  NORTHWESTERN LANCASTER COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN RICHMOND COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN ESSEX COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA...
  NORTHWESTERN MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN EASTERN VIRGINIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN WESTMORELAND COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL VIRGINIA...

* UNTIL 900 PM EST
    
* AT 823 PM EST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED OVER CENTER CROSS...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  ROBLEY...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ROBLEY AROUND 830 PM EST. 
  WARSAW...FARNHAM AND HAYNESVILLE AROUND 835 PM EST. 
  CALLAO AND HEATHSVILLE AROUND 840 PM EST. 
  KINSALE...LEWISETTA AND HAGUE AROUND 845 PM EST. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE WATER
VIEW...LARA...DOWNING...MONTAGUE...NUTTSVILLE...VILLAGE...GIBEON...THREEWAY...
EMMERTON AND BELLE ISLE STATE PARK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3811 7660 3807 7653 3806 7653 3805 7652
      3803 7652 3802 7647 3797 7642 3769 7662
      3778 7679 3779 7680 3779 7682 3780 7684
      3815 7663 3815 7661
TIME...MOT...LOC 0123Z 211DEG 48KT 3778 7674 

$$

44
1 follow-up statement
114 
WWUS51 KAKQ 250155
SVSAKQ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
855 PM EST WED FEB 24 2016

VAC057-103-119-133-159-193-250205-
/O.EXP.KAKQ.TO.W.0038.000000T0000Z-160225T0200Z/
NORTHUMBERLAND VA-LANCASTER VA-RICHMOND VA-ESSEX VA-MIDDLESEX VA-
WESTMORELAND VA-
855 PM EST WED FEB 24 2016

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHUMBERLAND...NORTHWESTERN LANCASTER...
SOUTHEASTERN RICHMOND...SOUTHEASTERN ESSEX...NORTHWESTERN MIDDLESEX
AND SOUTHEASTERN WESTMORELAND COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 900 PM EST...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3811 7660 3807 7653 3806 7653 3805 7652
      3803 7652 3802 7647 3797 7642 3769 7662
      3778 7679 3779 7680 3779 7682 3780 7684
      3815 7663 3815 7661
TIME...MOT...LOC 0153Z 211DEG 48KT 3778 7674 

$$

44

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 24, 7:01 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQEssex, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Middlesex, New Kent and 3 more44 min
Feb 24, 7:06 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQCharles City, Prince George, City of Hopewell, City of Petersburg39 min
Feb 24, 7:15 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQDinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Sussex, City of Colonial Heights, City of Petersburg30 min
Feb 24, 7:24 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQCharles City, Henrico, King William, New Kent36 min
Feb 24, 7:29 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQIsle of Wight, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, City of Franklin31 min
Feb 24, 7:40 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQSouthampton, City of Chesapeake, City of Portsmouth, City of Suffolk35 min
Feb 24, 7:40 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQCharles City, Henrico, James City, King and Queen, King William, New Kent and 2 more35 min
Feb 24, 7:52 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQEssex, King and Queen, Lancaster, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond and 1 more53 min
Feb 24, 8:05 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQNorthumberland, Richmond, Westmoreland25 min
Feb 24, 8:08 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQEssex, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Middlesex, Richmond37 min
Feb 24, 8:13 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQEssex, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Middlesex, New Kent and 1 more32 min
Feb 24, 8:13 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQCity of Chesapeake, City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth, City of Suffolk, City of Virginia Beach32 min
Feb 24, 8:28 PM ESTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ32 min
Feb 24, 8:30 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQCity of Hampton, City of Newport News, City of Poquoson15 min
Feb 24, 8:44 PM ESTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ91 min
Feb 24, 8:44 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQGloucester, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex11 min
Feb 24, 8:45 PM ESTTornado WarningAKQIsle of Wight, Southampton, City of Suffolk30 min
Feb 24, 8:49 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementAKQCity of Hampton, City of Poquoson26 min
Feb 24, 9:16 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementAKQIsle of Wight, Mathews, York, City of Hampton, City of Newport News, City of Poquoson and 2 more44 min
Feb 24, 9:54 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementAKQAccomack36 min
Feb 24, 10:07 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQAccomack, Northampton23 min
Feb 25, 12:59 AM ESTSmall Craft AdvisoryAKQ51 hr
Feb 25, 10:00 AM ESTGale WarningAKQ3 hr
Feb 25, 1:00 PM ESTGale WarningAKQ15 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2016Every tornado warning in 2016Tornadoes in 2016

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.