Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Blacksburg, VA

August 17, 2021Franklin County, Henry County, City of Martinsville, Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at Aug 17, 2021, 3:18 PM EDT for Franklin County, Henry County, City of Martinsville, Virginia. It was in force for 27 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: Aug 17, 2021, 3:18 PM EDT (19:18 UTC)
Expired: Aug 17, 2021, 3:45 PM EDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties City of Martinsville, VA, Franklin County, VA, Henry County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:18 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 17, 1:06 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 60 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: 75 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 666 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 87 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 83 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

437 
WFUS51 KRNK 171918
TORRNK
VAC067-089-690-171945-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0015.210817T1918Z-210817T1945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
318 PM EDT Tue Aug 17 2021

The National Weather Service in BLACKSBURG has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  The City of Martinsville in south central Virginia...
  Central Henry County in south central Virginia...
  Southeastern Franklin County in west central Virginia...

* Until 345 PM EDT.
    
* At 318 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Chatmoss, or near Martinsville, moving northwest
  at 20 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  Martinsville...
  Bassett...
  Sydnorsville...
  Axton...
  Snow Creek...
  Leatherwood...
  and Villa Heights.

This includes The following Locations The Martinsville Speedway and
Martinsville Airport.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

When it is safe to do so, please send your reports of hail of any
size, as well as reports of any wind damage, including downed trees
or large limbs, to the National Weather Service by calling toll free
at 1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4. Reports and pictures can also be
shared on the National Weather Service Blacksburg Facebook page and
on Twitter.

&&

LAT...LON 3684 8006 3692 7968 3664 7969 3661 7970
      3660 7994
TIME...MOT...LOC 1918Z 147DEG 16KT 3664 7980 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

DB

1 follow-up statement

534 
WWUS51 KRNK 171932
SVSRNK

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service BLACKSBURG VA
332 PM EDT Tue Aug 17 2021

VAC067-089-690-171945-
/O.CON.KRNK.TO.W.0015.000000T0000Z-210817T1945Z/
City of Martinsville VA-Henry VA-Franklin VA-
332 PM EDT Tue Aug 17 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM EDT FOR 
CENTRAL HENRY AND SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTIES AND THE CITY OF
MARTINSVILLE...
    
At 331 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 
was located over Collinsville, or just northwest of the City of 
Martinsville.  Another thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 
was located just northeast of the City of Martinsville.  Both 
storms were moving northwest at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

Locations impacted include...
Martinsville...
Bassett...
Sydnorsville...
Axton...
Snow Creek...
Leatherwood...
and Villa Heights.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

When it is safe to do so, please send your reports of hail of any
size, as well as reports of any wind damage, including downed trees
or large limbs, to the National Weather Service by calling toll free
at 1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4. Reports and pictures can also be
shared on the National Weather Service Blacksburg Facebook page and
on Twitter.

Additional statements will be issued as conditions warrant.

&&

LAT...LON 3684 8006 3692 7968 3672 7969 3663 7969
      3665 7996
TIME...MOT...LOC 1931Z 154DEG 16KT 3673 7992 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

DB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 16, 8:10 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, City of Lynchburg	65 min
Aug 16, 8:45 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RNK	Bland, Tazewell	2 hr
Aug 16, 9:14 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham	46 min
Aug 17, 3:37 AM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	RNK	Alleghany, Amherst, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt and 21 more	24 hr
Aug 17, 9:32 AM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RNK	Carroll	5 hr
Aug 17, 2:27 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Grayson	48 min
Aug 17, 2:43 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Henry, Patrick	32 min
Aug 17, 2:53 PM EDT	Flood Watch	RNK	Alleghany, Amherst, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Craig and 12 more	12 min
Aug 17, 3:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Franklin, Henry, Patrick	28 min
Aug 17, 3:20 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania and 3 more	40 min
Aug 17, 3:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Franklin, Henry, Patrick	34 min
Aug 17, 3:58 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Bedford, Craig, Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke, City of Roanoke and 1 more	47 min
Aug 17, 4:09 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RNK	City of Roanoke, City of Salem	3 hr
Aug 17, 4:20 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Henry, Patrick, City of Martinsville	40 min
Aug 17, 4:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Carroll	25 min
Aug 17, 4:45 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Roanoke, City of Roanoke, City of Salem	45 min
Aug 17, 5:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Grayson, Wythe, City of Galax	40 min
Aug 17, 5:23 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Appomattox, Buckingham	52 min
Aug 17, 5:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Bedford, Campbell, City of Lynchburg	26 min
Aug 17, 6:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	Amherst, City of Lynchburg	40 min
Aug 17, 6:45 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RNK	City of Lynchburg	45 min
Aug 17, 7:42 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	RNK	Amherst	79 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Virginia, 2021 Every tornado warning in 2021 Tornadoes 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.