Alert archive / Virginia / Winter Storm Watches in 2021

Winter Storm Watch 5, NWS Wakefield, VA

February 16, 202134 counties in Virginia

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this winter storm watch at Feb 16, 2021, 4:10 AM EST for 34 counties in Virginia. It took effect at Feb 18, 2021, 1:00 AM EST. It was in force for .

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 16, 2021, 4:10 AM EST (09:10 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 18, 2021, 1:00 AM EST
Expired
Feb 17, 2021, 3:10 PM EST
In force
Issued by
NWS Wakefield, VA
All 34 counties

Amelia County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Caroline County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King William County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, Westmoreland County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:13 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

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2021-02-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2021-02-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 603 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
490 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
603 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
759 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this winter storm watch 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 winter storm watch went out at Feb 16, 3:12 AM EST, 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 3:12 AM EST, 58 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 15, 4:07 PM EST, 12 hours 3 minutes before
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      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 15, 10:14 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningAKQIsle of Wight, Southampton, City of Franklin, City of Suffolk21 days
Feb 15, 10:28 PM ESTAreal Flood WarningAKQCharles City, James City, New Kent8 days
Feb 16, 2:34 AM ESTSpecial Marine WarningAKQ26 min
Feb 16, 7:49 AM ESTAreal Flood WarningAKQMecklenburg6 hr
Feb 16, 2:42 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningAKQSussex4 days
Feb 16, 2:47 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningAKQChesterfield, Henrico, City of Richmond37 hr
Feb 16, 6:10 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningAKQAmelia, Cumberland, Prince Edward24 hr

Nearby

Winter Storm Watches in Virginia, 2021Every winter storm watch in 2021

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.