Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1284

July 14, 20216 counties in Maryland; 24 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 14, 2021, 3:24 PM EDT for 6 counties in Maryland; 24 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 14, 2021, 3:24 PM EDT (19:24 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2021, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%
All 30 counties

Anne Arundel County, MD, Calvert County, MD, Charles County, MD, Howard County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Arlington County, VA, Caroline County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, Clarke County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Greene County, VA, King George County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Madison County, VA, Orange County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Warren County, VA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:27 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, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 46 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 2021-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 58 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2021-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -3 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
58 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-111 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1557 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

418 
ACUS11 KWNS 141925
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 141924 
MDZ000-VAZ000-DCZ000-WVZ000-142130-

Mesoscale Discussion 1284
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0224 PM CDT Wed Jul 14 2021

Areas affected...northern Virginia into Maryland

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 141924Z - 142130Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...A cluster of storms may produce strong wind gusts capable
of localized damage over the next few hours.

DISCUSSION...Steep low-level lapse rates have developed near a weak
surface trough, resulting in deep mixed layers per modified forecast
soundings. A small cluster of storms has already formed over
northern VA, consistent with earlier CAM depictions, and these cells
are likely to propagate east/southeast over the next few hours.
Deep-layer shear is weak, but perhaps sufficient to sustain and
advect these storms eastward given the deep mixed layers and
sufficient instability. As such, localized damaging gusts cannot be
ruled out. Storms are expected to remain tied to the diurnal cycle,
and weaken by evening.

..Jewell/Bunting.. 07/14/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...AKQ...LWX...

LAT...LON   37937729 37877831 38107861 38397842 39037828 39317779
            39367706 39187662 38757648 38357649 38227660 37937729

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Maryland, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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.