Alert archive / Virginia / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1628

August 28, 20214 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 28, 2021, 1:05 PM EDT for 4 states. It was in force for 115 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 2021, 1:05 PM EDT (17:05 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 2021, 3:00 PM EDT
In force
115 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
5%
All 45 counties

Allegany County, MD, Frederick County, MD, Washington County, MD, Adams County, PA, Bedford County, PA, Blair County, PA, Cambria County, PA, Cumberland County, PA, Franklin County, PA, Fulton County, PA, Huntingdon County, PA, Indiana County, PA, Mifflin County, PA, Albemarle County, VA, Augusta County, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Harrisonburg, VA, City of Manassas, VA, City of Manassas Park, VA, City of Staunton, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA, City of Winchester, VA, Clarke County, VA, Culpeper County, VA, Fauquier County, VA, Frederick County, VA, Greene County, VA, Highland County, VA, Loudoun County, VA, Madison County, VA, Orange County, VA, Page County, VA, Prince William County, VA, Rappahannock County, VA, Rockingham County, VA, Shenandoah County, VA, Warren County, VA, Berkeley County, WV, Grant County, WV, Hampshire County, WV, Hardy County, WV, Jefferson County, WV, Mineral County, WV, Morgan County, WV, Pendleton County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:07 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, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 2021-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 425 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 2021-08-28The 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
425 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-107 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
898 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

948 
ACUS11 KWNS 281705
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 281705 
PAZ000-MDZ000-VAZ000-WVZ000-281900-

Mesoscale Discussion 1628
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1205 PM CDT Sat Aug 28 2021

Areas affected...South-Central Pennsylvania...Western
Maryland...Eastern West Virginia...and Northern Virginia

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 281705Z - 281900Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated damaging wind gusts possible with the strongest
storms this afternoon.

DISCUSSION...Visible satellite shows strong insolation this morning
has given way to scattered convective development over the northern
part of region. Surface temperatures have warmed into the mid 80s F
amid rich low-level moisture (dew point temperatures in the upper
60s and low 70s F). This is yielding around 1000 J/kg of MLCAPE.
With weak convective inhibition and continued
heating/destabilization, additional pulse-like storms are expected
to develop throughout the afternoon and gradually move southeastward
with time. Weak flow throughout the atmosphere will limit storm
organization, however, a few isolated damaging wind gusts will be
possible with the strongest storms given at least marginal low-level
lapse rates near 8 C/km that should develop, particularly over parts
of northern Virginia and vicinity later this afternoon. Given the
expectation for an isolated damaging wind threat, watch issuance is
not expected.

..Karstens/Grams.. 08/28/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...AKQ...CTP...LWX...RNK...PBZ...RLX...

LAT...LON   39387920 40087891 40537913 40937915 41017832 40767758
            40077712 39157722 38397754 38077818 37947903 38077944
            38447964 38977948 39387920

Nearby

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