Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 461

April 6, 20175 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 6, 2017, 12:18 PM EDT for 5 states. It was in force for 57 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 6, 2017, 12:18 PM EDT (16:18 UTC)
Expired
Apr 6, 2017, 1:15 PM EDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
40%
All 63 counties

Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE, Sussex County, DE, Anne Arundel County, MD, Calvert County, MD, Caroline County, MD, Cecil County, MD, Charles County, MD, City of Baltimore, MD, Dorchester County, MD, Harford County, MD, Kent 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, Atlantic County, NJ, Burlington County, NJ, Camden County, NJ, Cape May County, NJ, Cumberland County, NJ, Gloucester County, NJ, Ocean County, NJ, Salem County, NJ, Chester County, PA, Delaware County, PA, Philadelphia County, PA, Arlington County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Richmond, VA, Essex County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King George County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Orange County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 2017-04-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 12:00Z on 2017-04-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 243 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
550 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
75 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
459 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

503 
ACUS11 KWNS 061619
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 061618 
NJZ000-PAZ000-MDZ000-DEZ000-VAZ000-DCZ000-061715-

Mesoscale Discussion 0461
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1118 AM CDT Thu Apr 06 2017

Areas affected...Portions of the Mid-Atlantic

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 061618Z - 061715Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated instances of damaging winds may occur through mid
afternoon from Virginia northward to southern New Jersey. Watch
issuance may be possible if convective trends warrant.

DISCUSSION...Several small bowing segments have organized over
northern/eastern Virginia late this morning/early this afternoon, on
the nose of robust DCVA associated with a sharp impulse currently
lifting north into Virginia. In response, a surface cyclone appears
to be organizing over far northern Virginia, with a sharpening
trough extending to its south/southeast. Enhanced surface
convergence (along this trough, as well as the front to its west)
and larger-scale ascent over the region will likely maintain pockets
of strong convection lifting northeast from Virginia towards
southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey this afternoon.
The near-surface thermal profile becomes considerably more stable
with northeastward extent, but considering the strength of forcing
for ascent, an isolated damaging-wind risk may extend into southern
New Jersey through the afternoon hours, especially where weak
diurnal heating occurs. However, due to the expected disorganized
nature of the threat, watch issuance is not currently anticipated.
Surface/radar observations will be monitored for a more organized
uptick in the damaging wind threat, though.

..Picca/Hart.. 04/06/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...PHI...AKQ...CTP...LWX...

LAT...LON   38857503 37417639 37227751 37427814 38147823 39027717
            39347671 40117567 40147467 39927409 39297451 38857503

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 12:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCKent, New Castle, Sussex4 hr
Apr 6, 3:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKent, New Castle63 min
Apr 6, 5:59 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalvert, Charles, Dorchester, Saint Mary's91 min
Apr 6, 7:06 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCDorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester8 hr
Apr 6, 12:51 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Floyd, Franklin and 8 more114 min
Apr 6, 10:38 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAmelia, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and 37 more67 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Maryland, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in New Jersey, 2017Every mesoscale discussion in 2017

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.