Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1373

July 28, 202134 counties in North Carolina; 38 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 28, 2021, 12:36 PM EDT for 34 counties in North Carolina; 38 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 114 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 28, 2021, 12:36 PM EDT (16:36 UTC)
Expired
Jul 28, 2021, 2:30 PM EDT
In force
114 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 72 counties

Beaufort County, NC, Bertie County, NC, Bladen County, NC, Camden County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Craven County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Dare County, NC, Duplin County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Gates County, NC, Greene County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Hyde County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Jones County, NC, Lenoir County, NC, Martin County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Onslow County, NC, Pamlico County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Pender County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Pitt County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Warren County, NC, Washington County, NC, Wayne County, NC, Wilson County, NC, Accomack County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Charles City County, VA, City of Chesapeake, 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 Virginia Beach, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Essex County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King William County, VA, Lancaster County, VA, Mathews County, VA, Middlesex County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Northampton County, VA, Northumberland County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Richmond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, York County, VA

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:37 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 135 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, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2021-07-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2446 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, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2021-07-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 61 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
2446 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
613 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

334 
ACUS11 KWNS 281636
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 281636 
VAZ000-NCZ000-MDZ000-281830-

Mesoscale Discussion 1373
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1136 AM CDT Wed Jul 28 2021

Areas affected...Southeastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 281636Z - 281830Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...Damaging winds and isolated large hail are possible with
organized multicells and isolated supercells storms this afternoon.
A watch is likely in the next 1-2 hours.

DISCUSSION...With convective temperatures already being reached
across parts of eastern Virginia and eastern North Carolina, storm
coverage is expected to increase this afternoon within a weak, but
modestly deepening, surface trough. Signs of this are already
evident in southeastern Virginia where cumulus have deepened and a
storm has recently developed near the southern Chesapeake Bay.
Continued mid-level cooling and effective shear (30-40 kts)
supportive of organized storms, the threat for damaging winds and
isolated large hail will continue to increase through the afternoon.
A severe thunderstorm watch is likely this afternoon, though timing
on when storm coverage will be sufficient is somewhat uncertain.
Observational trends along with model guidance would suggest a watch
would be needed in the next 1-2 hours.

..Wendt/Hart.. 07/28/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...AKQ...MHX...LWX...RAH...ILM...

LAT...LON   35357883 37517749 38117676 37997573 37297532 35857552
            35257608 34457757 34217796 34367853 35357883

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 28, 2:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBeaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven and 29 more6 hr
Jul 28, 4:16 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Craven, Cumberland and 23 more119 min
Jul 28, 6:07 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin and 8 more83 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in North Carolina, 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.