Alert archive / Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2020

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 44, NWS Wakefield, VA

April 21, 20204 counties in Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 21, 2020, 4:11 PM EDT for 4 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 24 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 21, 2020, 4:11 PM EDT (20:11 UTC)
Expired: Apr 21, 2020, 4:35 PM EDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Wakefield, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 0.75 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Gloucester County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Middlesex County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:14 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 179 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1922 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 197 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 207 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wakefield, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 21, 3:24 PM EDT, 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 3:24 PM EDT, 47 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 21, 3:45 PM EDT, 26 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 21, 2:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wakefield VA
243 PM EDT Tue Apr 21 2020

VAZ084-088>090-092-093-523>525-211945-
Isle of Wight-Hampton/Poquoson-Surry-Sussex-Southampton-Newport
News-York-James City-Gloucester-
243 PM EDT Tue Apr 21 2020

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN
GLOUCESTER...NORTHERN ISLE OF WIGHT...NORTHEASTERN SOUTHAMPTON...
SOUTHEASTERN YORK...NORTHEASTERN SUSSEX...SURRY AND SOUTHERN JAMES
CITY COUNTIES...THE CITY OF POQUOSON...THE CITY OF HAMPTON AND THE
CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS...

At 243 PM EDT, radar indicated strong thunderstorms were located
along a line extending from near Cabin Point to near Waverly to near
Sussex. Movement was east at 45 mph.

Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph are possible with these storms.

Locations impacted include...
Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, Smithfield, Waverly, Wakefield,
Surry, Langley AFB, Virginia Institute For Marine Sciences,
Gloucester Point, Hampton University, Christopher Newport University,
Patrick Henry Field, Seaford, Isle Of Wight, Northampton, Ivor,
Dendron, Stony Creek and Busch Gardens.

People at Port Warwick, Sentara CarePlex Hospital, and Bon Secours
Mary Immaculate should seek safe shelter immediately!

Strong wind gusts are possible with these storms. These wind gusts
are capable of knocking down tree limbs, small or weakened trees, and
blowing around trash cans, potted plants, lawn furniture, and other
light outdoor objects.

LAT...LON 3689 7658 3693 7746 3703 7724 3720 7704
      3731 7624 3729 7624 3727 7627 3728 7631
      3729 7632 3729 7634 3721 7635 3720 7632
      3717 7629 3715 7626 3709 7623 3707 7623
TIME...MOT...LOC 1843Z 259DEG 41KT 3711 7707 3702 7714 3696 7731

BROWN

Special weather statement, Apr 21, 3:16 PM EDT, 55 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Apr 21, 3:27 PM EDT, 44 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 21, 3:56 PM EDT, 15 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Apr 21, 4:01 PM EDT, 10 minutes before

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Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:11 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 21, 11:50 AM EDT	Freeze Warning	AKQ	Caroline, Fluvanna, Goochland, Hanover, Louisa	20 hr
Apr 21, 2:43 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Isle of Wight, Surry, Sussex, York, City of Hampton, City of Newport News and 1 more	62 min
Apr 21, 2:57 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		78 min
Apr 21, 3:50 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		85 min
Apr 21, 4:01 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Lancaster, Middlesex	44 min
Apr 21, 4:02 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		88 min
Apr 21, 4:12 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		63 min
Apr 21, 4:43 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Accomack	47 min
Apr 21, 5:09 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	City of Hampton, City of Newport News, City of Poquoson	36 min
Apr 21, 5:11 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		43 min
Apr 21, 5:14 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		61 min
Apr 21, 5:36 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Isle of Wight, City of Hampton	39 min
Apr 21, 5:40 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	AKQ		35 min
Apr 21, 2:14 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Dorchester	61 min
Apr 21, 2:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Dorchester, Wicomico	40 min
Apr 21, 3:16 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Wicomico	59 min
Apr 21, 3:27 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Wicomico, Worcester	63 min
Apr 21, 3:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Wicomico, Worcester	44 min
Apr 21, 4:44 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Worcester	31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Virginia, 2020 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2020

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.