Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1510

August 13, 20214 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 13, 2021, 12:33 PM EDT for 4 states. It was in force for 87 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 13, 2021, 12:33 PM EDT (16:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 13, 2021, 2:00 PM EDT
In force
87 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%
All 76 counties

Anne Arundel County, MD, Baltimore County, MD, Carroll County, MD, Charles County, MD, City of Baltimore, MD, Frederick County, MD, Harford County, MD, Howard County, MD, Montgomery County, MD, Prince George's County, MD, Washington County, MD, Adams County, PA, Cumberland County, PA, Dauphin County, PA, Franklin County, PA, Fulton County, PA, Lancaster County, PA, Lebanon County, PA, Perry County, PA, York County, PA, Albemarle County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Arlington County, VA, Augusta County, VA, Bedford County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Caroline County, VA, City of Alexandria, VA, City of Buena Vista, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Fairfax, VA, City of Falls Church, VA, City of Fredericksburg, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, City of Lexington, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, City of Staunton, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA, City of Winchester, VA, Clarke County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Frederick County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greene County, VA, King George County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Madison County, VA, Nelson County, VA, Orange County, VA, Page County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Rockbridge County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Spotsylvania County, VA, Stafford County, VA, Warren County, VA, Berkeley County, WV, Hampshire County, WV, Hardy County, WV, Jefferson County, WV, Morgan County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 63 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 68 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 2021-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 313 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 2021-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 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
313 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-199 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1675 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

232 
ACUS11 KWNS 131633
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 131633 
PAZ000-MDZ000-VAZ000-DCZ000-WVZ000-131800-

Mesoscale Discussion 1510
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1133 AM CDT Fri Aug 13 2021

Areas affected...southern PA...MD...central and northern VA

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 131633Z - 131800Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated gusts 45-60 mph are forecast with the stronger
storms this afternoon.  Localized pockets of wind damage are
expected.

DISCUSSION...Visible-satellite imagery shows a swelling cumulus
field and the early stages of thunderstorm development near the
WV/VA border.  Surface temperatures have warmed into the lower 90s
with dewpoints ranging from near 70 degrees west and mid-upper 70s
near Chesapeake Bay.  Area 88D VAD data shows weak tropospheric flow
indicative of pulse thunderstorms.  Steep low-level lapse rates with
2 inches precipitable water will favor water-loaded downdrafts.  The
more intense downdrafts will be capable of gusts 45-60 mph with a
localized risk for wind damage near the heavier bursts.  A severe
thunderstorm watch will be considered over the next hour or so.

..Smith/Hart.. 08/13/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...PHI...AKQ...CTP...LWX...RNK...

LAT...LON   36968039 40307823 40527675 40307609 39667610 37957714
            36747971 36968039

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 13, 1:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil and 13 more7 hr
Aug 13, 4:48 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Charles, Harford, Howard and 2 more87 min
Aug 13, 6:02 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCWicomico, Worcester58 min
Aug 12, 10:08 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBerks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland and 22 more67 min
Aug 13, 2:48 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBradford, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan and 2 more87 min
Aug 13, 3:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming and 11 more7 hr
Aug 13, 4:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette and 9 more5 hr
Aug 13, 7:14 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBradford, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe and 9 more61 min
Aug 13, 7:49 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Clarion and 13 more56 min
Aug 13, 1:13 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison and 15 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Virginia, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Maryland, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Pennsylvania, 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.