Alert archive / Virginia / Tornado Watches in 2022

Tornado Watch 187

May 6, 202254 counties in North Carolina; 78 counties in Virginia; Mercer County, Monroe County, Summers County, West Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 6, 2022, 2:32 PM EDT for 54 counties in North Carolina; 78 counties in Virginia; Mercer County, Monroe County, Summers County, West Virginia. It was in force for 9 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 6, 2022, 2:32 PM EDT (18:32 UTC)
Expired: May 7, 2022, 12:00 AM EDT
In force: 9 hr
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected: 1.5 in
Strongest gust expected: 60 kt

All 135 counties

Alamance County, NC, Anson County, NC, Beaufort County, NC, Bertie County, NC, Camden County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Craven County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Duplin County, NC, Durham County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Gates County, NC, Granville County, NC, Greene County, NC, Guilford County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Hoke County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Jones County, NC, Lee County, NC, Lenoir County, NC, Martin County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Moore County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Orange County, NC, Pamlico County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Person County, NC, Pitt County, NC, Randolph County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Scotland County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Vance County, NC, Wake County, NC, Warren County, NC, Washington County, NC, Wayne County, NC, Wilson County, NC, Albemarle County, VA, Alleghany County, VA, Amelia County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Augusta County, VA, Bedford County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Brunswick County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Charles City County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, Chesterfield County, VA, City of Buena Vista, VA, City of Charlottesville, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Colonial Heights, VA, City of Covington, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Hopewell, VA, City of Lexington, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, City of Newport News, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Petersburg, VA, City of Poquoson, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Radford, VA, City of Richmond, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, City of Staunton, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA, City of Waynesboro, VA, City of Williamsburg, VA, Craig County, VA, Cumberland County, VA, Dinwiddie County, VA, Floyd County, VA, Fluvanna County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Giles County, VA, Gloucester County, VA, Goochland County, VA, Greensville County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Hanover County, VA, Henrico County, VA, Henry County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, James City County, VA, King and Queen County, VA, King William County, VA, Louisa County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, Montgomery County, VA, Nelson County, VA, New Kent County, VA, Nottoway County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Powhatan County, VA, Prince Edward County, VA, Prince George County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Roanoke County, VA, Rockbridge County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Surry County, VA, Sussex County, VA, York County, VA, Mercer County, WV, Monroe County, WV, Summers County, WV

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:34 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes: 60%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes: 20%
Ten or more severe wind reports: 60%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more: 20%
Ten or more severe hail reports: 40%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more: 10%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports: 90%

Warnings issued inside it

97 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 6, 2:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Chatham, Orange	50 min
May 6, 3:08 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Pitt	52 min
May 6, 3:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Greene, Martin, Pitt	63 min
May 6, 3:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph	46 min
May 6, 3:19 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Forsyth	26 min
May 6, 3:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Martin	51 min
May 6, 3:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Chatham, Durham, Lee, Orange, Wake	50 min
May 6, 3:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Bertie	49 min
May 6, 3:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Bertie, Hertford, Northampton	26 min
May 6, 3:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Guilford, Randolph	50 min
May 6, 4:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Durham, Franklin, Granville, Vance, Wake	43 min
May 6, 4:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Martin, Pitt	56 min
May 6, 4:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Bertie, Gates, Hertford	32 min
May 6, 4:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Hertford, Northampton	40 min
May 6, 4:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Halifax	37 min
May 6, 4:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Caswell, Rockingham	64 min
May 6, 4:36 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Bertie, Chowan	24 min
May 6, 4:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Halifax	39 min
May 6, 4:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gates, Hertford, Northampton	49 min
May 6, 4:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MHX	Martin, Washington	45 min
May 6, 4:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	46 min
May 6, 4:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Caswell	31 min
May 6, 5:00 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Bertie, Chowan, Perquimans	30 min
May 6, 5:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Durham, Orange, Person	43 min
May 6, 5:12 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Person	33 min
May 6, 5:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Halifax, Warren	31 min
May 6, 5:18 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Durham, Orange, Person	42 min
May 6, 5:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Tyrrell, Washington	42 min
May 6, 5:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry, York, City of Hampton and 4 more	50 min
May 6, 5:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Camden, Chowan, Gates, Pasquotank, Perquimans	30 min
May 6, 5:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Greensville, Southampton, Sussex, City of Emporia	39 min
May 6, 5:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Durham, Granville, Orange, Person, Vance	26 min
May 6, 6:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Anson, Richmond	39 min
May 6, 6:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Bertie, Hertford, Northampton	45 min
May 6, 6:27 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Forsyth	33 min
May 6, 6:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	29 min
May 6, 6:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Montgomery, Moore	39 min
May 6, 6:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Sussex	27 min
May 6, 6:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Forsyth	19 min
May 6, 6:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gates, Hertford	44 min
May 6, 6:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Edgecombe, Wilson	41 min
May 6, 6:49 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Stokes	26 min
May 6, 6:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly	40 min
May 6, 6:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Pitt	37 min
May 6, 6:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Cumberland, Hoke	52 min
May 6, 6:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Pulaski, Wythe	49 min
May 6, 7:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Charles City, James City, King and Queen, King William, New Kent	29 min
May 6, 7:10 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Rockingham, Stokes	35 min
May 6, 7:15 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Hertford	30 min
May 6, 7:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Craig, Montgomery, City of Radford	60 min
May 6, 7:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Floyd, Franklin, Patrick	40 min
May 6, 7:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Anson, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Scotland and 1 more	54 min
May 6, 7:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Davidson, Randolph	39 min
May 6, 7:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Stokes, Surry	53 min
May 6, 7:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Alleghany, Botetourt, City of Covington	65 min
May 6, 7:33 PM EDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	RNK	Rockingham	27 min
May 6, 7:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Chatham, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Wake	50 min
May 6, 7:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Stokes	65 min
May 6, 7:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Roanoke, City of Roanoke, City of Salem	65 min
May 6, 7:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Camden, Currituck, Gates, Pasquotank	45 min
May 6, 7:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	City of Chesapeake	24 min
May 6, 7:55 PM EDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threat	RNK	Caswell, Rockingham	35 min
May 6, 7:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Guilford, Randolph	33 min
May 6, 8:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Cumberland, Sampson	40 min
May 6, 8:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Rockingham	24 min
May 6, 8:11 PM EDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	RNK	Caswell	34 min
May 6, 8:11 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	City of Chesapeake, City of Virginia Beach	37 min
May 6, 8:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Bedford, Campbell, Franklin, Pittsylvania	49 min
May 6, 8:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	City of Chesapeake, City of Norfolk, City of Virginia Beach	46 min
May 6, 8:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington	41 min
May 6, 8:28 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Augusta, Nelson	47 min
May 6, 8:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Caswell	60 min
May 6, 8:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, City of Lynchburg	41 min
May 6, 8:35 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Caswell	15 min
May 6, 8:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Orange, Wake	41 min
May 6, 8:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Franklin	31 min
May 6, 8:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Augusta, Nelson, City of Waynesboro	48 min
May 6, 8:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Sampson, Wayne, Wilson	45 min
May 6, 8:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Franklin, Granville, Nash, Vance	39 min
May 6, 8:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Appomattox, Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax, Pittsylvania	62 min
May 6, 8:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Augusta	16 min
May 6, 8:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Charlotte, Halifax	61 min
May 6, 9:02 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Albemarle, Nelson	28 min
May 6, 9:02 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Halifax	28 min
May 6, 9:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Albemarle, Augusta, Nelson, City of Charlottesville	54 min
May 6, 9:08 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Pittsylvania	37 min
May 6, 9:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Edgecombe, Halifax, Vance, Warren	46 min
May 6, 9:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Guilford	24 min
May 6, 9:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Davidson, Guilford, Randolph	35 min
May 6, 9:27 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RNK	Charlotte, Halifax	20 min
May 6, 9:28 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Mecklenburg	32 min
May 6, 9:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Halifax, Pittsylvania	61 min
May 6, 9:39 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	LWX	Augusta, City of Staunton, City of Waynesboro	55 min
May 6, 9:49 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Albemarle	11 min
May 6, 9:52 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	AKQ	Lunenburg, Mecklenburg	23 min
May 6, 9:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Albemarle, Greene, Orange, City of Charlottesville	52 min
May 6, 10:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Amelia, Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg and 2 more	27 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 83 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -208 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 583 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 287 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 395 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 6, 1:04 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson and 6 more	86 min
May 6, 1:41 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 30 more	6 hr
May 6, 1:53 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Alamance, Bertie, Caswell, Chatham, Chowan, Davidson and 30 more	2 hr
May 6, 4:03 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 25 more	57 min
May 6, 5:50 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and 1 more	55 min
May 6, 5:51 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Alamance, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Caswell, Chatham and 33 more	84 min
May 6, 6:29 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 21 more	91 min
May 6, 6:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Bladen, Columbus, Robeson	2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2022 Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2022 Tornado Watches in West Virginia, 2022 Every tornado watch in 2022

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.