Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1311

July 17, 202129 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 17, 2021, 8:03 PM EDT for 29 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 87 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 17, 2021, 8:03 PM EDT (00:03 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 2021, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
87 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%
All 29 counties

Brunswick County, VA, Charles City County, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King William County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, York County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:04 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

Wallops Is Stn, VA (KWAL), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 161 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, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 2021-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1997 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Wallops Is Stn, VA at 00:00Z on 2021-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1997 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1118 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

621 
ACUS11 KWNS 180003
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 180003 
VAZ000-180130-

Mesoscale Discussion 1311
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0703 PM CDT Sat Jul 17 2021

Areas affected...portions of eastern and southeastern Virginia

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 180003Z - 180130Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...A couple damaging gusts may accompany the stronger storms
over the next few hours. The overall severe threat is expected to be
relatively brief and isolated.

DISCUSSION...MRMS mosaic and KAKQ radar data show a somewhat
organized line of multicellular storms, with 35 dBZ echoes exceeding
45 kft, roughly from Middlesex to Dinwiddie County VA. These storms
are moving through an airmass characterized by 2000+ J/kg MLCAPE and
7 C/km sfc-3km lapse rates, supportive of occasional wet downbursts.
Nonetheless, with the onset of nocturnal cooling, the severe threat
is expected to only last for a few hours, and given limited area
ahead of the storms, overall severe coverage is expected to remain
localized/sparse.

..Squitieri/Guyer.. 07/18/2021

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

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

LAT...LON   36797821 37657729 37827686 37757656 37487623 37167612
            36877616 36697649 36677737 36797821

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 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.