Alert archive / West Virginia / Snow Squall Warnings in 2021

Snow Squall Warning 4, NWS Charleston, WV

January 16, 20217 counties in West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this snow squall warning at Jan 16, 2021, 5:44 PM EST for 7 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 16, 2021, 5:44 PM EST (22:44 UTC)
Expired
Jan 16, 2021, 6:15 PM EST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Braxton County, WV, Clay County, WV, Gilmer County, WV, Lewis County, WV, Nicholas County, WV, Upshur County, WV, Webster County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:48 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 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 190 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 12:00Z on 2021-01-16Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2021-01-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -64 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
905 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
73 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

566 
WWUS51 KRLX 162244
SQWRLX

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Snow Squall Warning
National Weather Service Charleston WV
544 PM EST Sat Jan 16 2021

WVC007-015-021-041-067-097-101-162315-
/O.NEW.KRLX.SQ.W.0004.210116T2244Z-210116T2315Z/
Nicholas WV-Gilmer WV-Lewis WV-Braxton WV-Upshur WV-Webster WV-
Clay WV-
544 PM EST Sat Jan 16 2021

The National Weather Service in Charleston West Virginia has issued a

* Snow Squall Warning for...
  North central Nicholas County in central West Virginia...
  Southeastern Gilmer County in central West Virginia...
  Central Lewis County in central West Virginia...
  Braxton County in central West Virginia...
  Southwestern Upshur County in central West Virginia...
  Northwestern Webster County in central West Virginia...
  Central Clay County in central West Virginia...

* Until 615 PM EST.

* At 541 PM EST, a dangerous snow squall was located along a line
  extending from near Glenville to 6 miles northwest of Birch River
  to near Glen, moving east at 20 mph.

  HAZARD...Extremely poor visibility in heavy snow and blowing snow. 
           Wind gusts up to 30 mph. Icy spots developing.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Dangerous travel.

* This includes the following highways...
   Interstate 79 between mile markers 51 and 91.
   Route 19 between mile markers 47 and 68.

Locations impacted include...
Glenville, Sutton, Clay, Webster Springs, Gassaway, Addison (Webster
Springs), Birch River, Harrison, Burnsville, Flatwoods, Sand Fork,
Muddlety, Cleveland, Boggs, Little Birch, Hacker Valley, Ireland,
Erbacon, Widen and Diana.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow Down! Rapid changes in visibility and road conditions are
expected with these dangerous snow squalls. Be alert for sudden
whiteout conditions.

Wet roadways will quickly freeze. Black ice could cause roads, bridges
and overpasses to become slick and dangerous. Slow down and be
prepared for sudden loss of traction.

&&

LAT...LON 3847 8039 3835 8081 3842 8127 3844 8127
      3853 8088 3897 8083 3898 8033
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 265DEG 16KT 3890 8077 3856 8085 3843 8125 

$$

12

The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 16, 2:29 AM ESTWinter Weather AdvisoryRLXNicholas, Pocahontas, Randolph, Webster31 hr
Jan 16, 2:33 PM ESTSnow Squall WarningRLXKanawha27 min
Jan 16, 4:36 PM ESTSnow Squall WarningRLXClay, Fayette, Kanawha, Nicholas24 min
Jan 16, 4:42 PM ESTSnow Squall WarningRLXBraxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Kanawha, Roane33 min

Nearby

Snow Squall Warnings in West Virginia, 2021Every snow squall warning 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.