Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2016
Severe Thunderstorm Watch 138
The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at May 2, 2016, 2:17 PM EDT for 5 states. It was in force for 8 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 2, 2016, 2:17 PM EDT (18:17 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2016, 10:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 8 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 154 counties
Bell County, KY, Breathitt County, KY, Clay County, KY, Floyd County, KY, Harlan County, KY, Johnson County, KY, Knott County, KY, Knox County, KY, Leslie County, KY, Letcher County, KY, Magoffin County, KY, Martin County, KY, Owsley County, KY, Perry County, KY, Pike County, KY, Whitley County, KY, Alexander County, NC, Alleghany County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Avery County, NC, Buncombe County, NC, Burke County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Davie County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Madison County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Mitchell County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Surry County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Yancey County, NC, Anderson County, TN, Blount County, TN, Campbell County, TN, Carter County, TN, Claiborne County, TN, Cocke County, TN, Grainger County, TN, Greene County, TN, Hamblen County, TN, Hancock County, TN, Hawkins County, TN, Jefferson County, TN, Johnson County, TN, Knox County, TN, Loudon County, TN, Morgan County, TN, Roane County, TN, Scott County, TN, Sevier County, TN, Sullivan County, TN, Unicoi County, TN, Union County, TN, Washington County, TN, Albemarle County, VA, Alleghany County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Arlington County, VA, Augusta County, VA, Bath County, VA, Bedford County, VA, Bland County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Buchanan County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Carroll County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Bristol, VA, City of Buena Vista, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Covington, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Galax, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, City of Lexington, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, City of Norton, VA, City of Radford, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, City of Staunton, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA, Craig County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Dickenson County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Floyd County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Giles County, VA, Grayson County, VA, Greene County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Henry County, VA, Highland County, VA, King George County, VA, Lee County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Madison County, VA, Montgomery County, VA, Nelson County, VA, Orange County, VA, Page County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Roanoke County, VA, Rockbridge County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Russell County, VA, Scott County, VA, Smyth County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Tazewell County, VA, Washington County, VA, Wise County, VA, Wythe County, VA, Boone County, WV, Clay County, WV, Fayette County, WV, Greenbrier County, WV, Kanawha County, WV, Lincoln County, WV, Logan County, WV, McDowell County, WV, Mercer County, WV, Mingo County, WV, Monroe County, WV, Nicholas County, WV, Pendleton County, WV, Pocahontas County, WV, Raleigh County, WV, Randolph County, WV, Summers County, WV, Webster County, WV, Wyoming County, WV
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:17 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 10%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 2%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 30%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 10%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 30%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 10%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 60%
Warnings issued inside it
59 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2:22 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Clay, Jackson, Laurel, Pulaski, Rockcastle | 4 hr |
| May 2, 2:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Martin, Pike | 22 min |
| May 2, 2:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Buncombe, McDowell | 50 min |
| May 2, 2:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Breathitt, Leslie, Perry | 30 min |
| May 2, 2:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Letcher, Pike | 43 min |
| May 2, 2:37 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Boone, Logan, Mingo | 53 min |
| May 2, 2:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania | 50 min |
| May 2, 2:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Ashe | 42 min |
| May 2, 2:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Breathitt, Floyd, Knott, Magoffin, Perry | 35 min |
| May 2, 2:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bland, Giles, Tazewell | 64 min |
| May 2, 2:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Ashe, Watauga | 24 min |
| May 2, 3:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Floyd, Montgomery | 42 min |
| May 2, 3:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Burke, McDowell, Rutherford | 49 min |
| May 2, 3:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Pike | 30 min |
| May 2, 3:19 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Floyd, Pike | 41 min |
| May 2, 3:19 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Loudon, Meigs, Rhea, Roane | 41 min |
| May 2, 3:37 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cabarrus, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Rowan | 38 min |
| May 2, 3:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Pike | 26 min |
| May 2, 3:38 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RLX | Boone, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Raleigh, Wyoming | 6 hr |
| May 2, 3:42 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Lee, Owsley | 3 hr |
| May 2, 3:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Surry | 31 min |
| May 2, 3:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Giles | 29 min |
| May 2, 3:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Harlan, Leslie, Letcher, Perry | 27 min |
| May 2, 3:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Buchanan | 35 min |
| May 2, 3:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon, Roane | 46 min |
| May 2, 4:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Surry | 64 min |
| May 2, 4:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Craig, Giles | 47 min |
| May 2, 4:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Franklin | 45 min |
| May 2, 4:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Blount, Knox | 51 min |
| May 2, 4:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | McDowell, Raleigh, Wyoming | 33 min |
| May 2, 4:33 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RLX | Buchanan, Dickenson | 4 hr |
| May 2, 4:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Giles | 41 min |
| May 2, 4:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Mercer, Monroe, Summers | 65 min |
| May 2, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Nelson | 40 min |
| May 2, 4:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Jefferson, Knox, Sevier | 27 min |
| May 2, 4:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bedford, Franklin, Pittsylvania | 64 min |
| May 2, 5:13 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Alexander, Iredell | 47 min |
| May 2, 5:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes | 27 min |
| May 2, 5:28 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Albemarle, Nelson | 12 min |
| May 2, 5:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista | 42 min |
| May 2, 5:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bedford, Campbell, Pittsylvania | 64 min |
| May 2, 5:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RLX | Pocahontas | 31 min |
| May 2, 5:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 40 min |
| May 2, 5:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 40 min |
| May 2, 5:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Fairfax, Prince William, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park | 40 min |
| May 2, 5:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Cocke, Greene | 37 min |
| May 2, 5:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 64 min |
| May 2, 6:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Amherst, Bedford, Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista | 35 min |
| May 2, 6:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Davie, Iredell, Rowan | 49 min |
| May 2, 6:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church | 29 min |
| May 2, 6:27 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Fairfax, Prince William, City of Alexandria | 48 min |
| May 2, 6:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Charlotte, Halifax | 52 min |
| May 2, 6:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Madison | 43 min |
| May 2, 6:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Ashe | 28 min |
| May 2, 6:54 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Greene, Unicoi, Washington | 36 min |
| May 2, 6:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Appomattox, Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania | 43 min |
| May 2, 7:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Arlington, Fairfax, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church | 28 min |
| May 2, 8:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LWX | Arlington, Fairfax, City of Falls Church | 41 min |
| May 2, 9:23 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin | 6 hr |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 138 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
- 215 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -41 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 706 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 115 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 115 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.2
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 9:21 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Boone, Campbell, Kenton | 114 min |
| May 2, 1:34 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Pike | 116 min |
| May 2, 2:43 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bertie, Chatham, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe and 23 more | 62 min |
| May 2, 5:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Bertie, Gates, Hertford, Northampton | 5 hr |
| May 2, 6:34 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Albemarle, Amelia, Appomattox, Arlington, Brunswick, Buckingham and 47 more | 56 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Virginia, 2016Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Tennessee, 2016Severe Thunderstorm Watches in North Carolina, 2016Every severe thunderstorm watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.