Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, April 3, 2007

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, April 3, 2007
Start: 2007-04-03T21:50
End: 2007-04-03T23:00
Location: Virginia

April 3, 2007 · NWS MRX · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

A squall line moved through the mid south on its way into Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. A large bow developed on the line late in the evening as it approached the Cumberland Plateau.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $90,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MRX wrote it up.

A squall line moved through the mid south on its way into Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. A large bow developed on the line late in the evening as it approached the Cumberland Plateau. Damage was predominantly created by straight line winds. However, an EF1 Tornado also developed on the Cumberland Plateau in Claiborne county.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 3, 8:25 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 8:25 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
925 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2007

.DISCUSSION...PREFRONTAL TROUGH CONTINUES JUST W OF MRX CWA.
CONVECTIVELY INDUCED PRESSURE COUPLET DROPPING SE INTO TROUGH FROM
KY. EXPECT SCT POSSIBLE SVR CONVECTIVE THIS EVENING ALONG CUMBERLAND
PLATEAU. DECENT INSTABILTY AXIS AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL SSW JET
BUILD INTO THE AREA FM THE SW AROUND MIDNIGHT. HAVE INCREASED POPS
TO CATEGORICAL OVERNIGHT FOR WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ALONG SOUTHEASTWARD
MOVING FRONT. UPDATE TO ADD TOR WATCH #117 FOR SW AREAS. TSTM WATCH
PSBL SOON NE AREAS. SON

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION:
SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY)...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT.  AHEAD OF THE FRONT...A LINE OF CONVECTION
HAS FORMED WILL WILL TRACK EAST ACROSS THE MRX CWA THIS
EVENING/OVERNIGHT.  STRONGEST LIS...CAPE ETC WILL BE WEST OF OUR
AREA.  HOWEVER...SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY PARAMETERS AS WELL AS
MOISTURE AND LIFT WILL BE OVER THE REGION TO CONTINUE THE CONVECTION
THROUGH OUR AREA.  SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LEVELS.
AN SPS HAS BEEN ISSUED TO NOTIFY OF THE POTENTIAL.  ADDITIONALLY...
WINDS WILL INCREASE WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...WITH BREEZY TO
LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED.  THE FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH
FAIRLY QUICKLY OVERNIGHT WITH A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS
POSSIBLE MAINLY EASTERN ZONES IN THE MORNING.  BEHIND THE FRONT...
STRONG COLD ADVECTION WILL BRING IN MUCH COOLER AIR.  WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO REACH INTO THE UPPER 50S
TO MID 60S.

LONG TERM...(WED NIGHT THROUGH TUES)...UPPER LOW FORECAST TO SHIFT
EAST FROM THE GREAT LAKES...THEN REMAIN IN THE NEW ENGLAND VICINITY
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  COLD NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE OVER OUR
REGION DURING THIS TIME.  ONE SHORT WAVE MOVING DOWN IN NORTHWEST
FLOW MAY INCREASE CLOUDINESS OVER THE AREA THU NIGHT INTO
FRIDAY...BUT APPEARS ANY PRECIP WILL STAY TO OUR WEST AND SOUTHWEST.
OTHER PIECES OF SHORT WAVE ENERGY ROTATING AROUND THE LOW SHOULD
HAVE THE MOST IMPACT FURTHER NORTH. WHILE TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF
THESE SHORT WAVE FEATURES IN UNCERTAIN...AND CERTAINLY CAN NOT RULE
OUT POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS/SNOW SHOWERS AT SOME POINT ESPECIALLY
MOUNTAINS AND NORTH...CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH AT THIS POINT TO
INTRODUCE TO THE FORECAST SO WILL KEEP THINGS DRY FOR NOW THROUGH
THE WEEKEND. A BIT OF A WARM UP SHOULD BEGIN ON MONDAY AS THE UPPER
LOW DEPARTS AND COLD ADVECTION ENDS. A WEAK SYSTEM MAY AFFECT THE
REGION BY TUESDAY...SO WILL INCLUDE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN  57  65  38  60  33 /  70  20   0   0  10
KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN  54  63  36  55  31 /  70  20  10  10  10
OAK RIDGE, TN  53  62  32  56  30 /  70  20  10  10  10
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN  52  59  31  51  27 /  70  40  10  10  10

&&

.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...NONE.
TN...NONE.
VA...NONE.
&&

MJB/LDW

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 3, 2:42 AM EST, 19 hours 8 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
342 AM EDT TUE APR 3 2007

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-
005-006-008-040745-
CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS-
SULLIVAN-JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN-
NORTHWEST COCKE-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE-
SOUTHEAST GREENE-WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER-
SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE-LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT-
BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS-
SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN-NORTHWEST MONROE-
SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-LEE-
WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON-
342 AM EDT TUE APR 3 2007 /242 AM CDT TUE APR 3 2007/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH
CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AN UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER THE REGION...AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD
FRONT...WILL RESULT IN THUNDERSTORMS FORMING OVER WEST AND MIDDLE
TENNESSEE THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO
THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AND TENNESSEE VALLEY THIS EVENING...BETWEEN
6 PM AND MIDNIGHT EDT. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THE STORMS IS EXPECTED
TO BE LARGE HAIL...WITH AN ISOLATED TORNADO POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER NETWORK ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 3, 5:20 PM EST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
620 PM EDT TUE APR 03 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0540 PM     HAIL             7 N PIKEVILLE           35.71N 85.20W
04/03/2007  E1.00 INCH       BLEDSOE            TN   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.

0550 PM     HAIL             4 N PIKEVILLE           35.66N 85.20W
04/03/2007  E1.00 INCH       BLEDSOE            TN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER REPORTED QUARTER SIZE HAIL 41/2 MILES NORTH OF
            PIKEVILLE, TN.

&&

CAC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:51 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lee

When: April 3, 9:50 PM EST
Where: Lee County, 0.69 mi N of Pennington Gap
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.760, -83.030

Penny size hail was reported between Pennington Gap and Woodway.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When: April 3, 9:50 PM EST
Where: Lee County, Pennington Gap to Woodway
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.750, -83.030

Numerous trees and large limbs were reported down from Pennington Gap to Woodway.

Thunderstorm Wind, Scott

When: April 3, 10:20 PM EST
Where: Scott County, 0.69 mi N of Gate City
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Utility Company
Coordinates: 36.640, -82.580

Several trees and power lines were reported down south and west of Gate City.

Thunderstorm Wind, Russell

When: April 3, 10:35 PM EST
Where: Russell County, Lebanon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 36.900, -82.080

Several trees were reported down throughout the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: April 3, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Washington County, 2.08 mi N of Vance
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: County Official
Coordinates: 36.710, -81.970

Several trees were reported down in Abingdon and Meadowview.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Virginia in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Virginia, April 2007

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 14537, 14543, 14538, 14539, 14540.