Beamerball 566 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 Looks to just graze eastern Mercer and far northeastern Tazewell. Definitely has the appearance of your typical tornadic cell. http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radbla...&rainsnow=0 TORNADO WARNING VAC021-071-185-WVC055-162100- /O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0023.080616T2026Z-080616T2100Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 426 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2008 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHERN BLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA NORTHEASTERN TAZEWELL COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA WESTERN GILES COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA MERCER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA * UNTIL 500 PM EDT. * AT 425 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES NORTH OF COALDALE...OR 7 MILES WEST OF MATOAKA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 38 MPH. * LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... BRAMWELL... MONTCALM... SANDLICK... CERES... ROCKY GAP... IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 That was a very "over-hyped" warning. There was some strong straight line winds and some hail in various locations but that was all. Doppler radar indicated a rotation in the wind thus the warning was issued. At my house in Bluefield, there was nothing more than a nice, cool breeze and a few sprinkles of rain as the storm went through. Nonetheless, I kept a very watchful eye to the sky and had the dog and cat ready to head for shelter if the need arose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMoney55 11 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 I was in Bluefield, Va during the warning and it was a pretty nasty storm. Although it only lasted for about 20-30 minutes, it was wihtout a doubt the most violent rain, lightning and such that I have witnessed since I moved here about 2.5 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 damn Dave Dirks and WCYB for some reason dont think it's good enough to put a LIVE BLINKING map in the corner of the screen AND a huge scrolling text box at the top of the screen with these stupid warnings....no they have to just hop in and tell you it's raining and interrupt whatever you are trying to watch every 2 minutes for HOURS on end...pisses me off. I mean...can it not wait like 4 minutes until there is a commercial for this crap? I don't need to see the local news idiot every 3 minutes while I'm trying to watch whatever it is I'm watching....and they do this crap EVERY day...ENOUGH!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 [ QUOTE ] damn Dave Dirks and WCYB for some reason dont think it's good enough to put a LIVE BLINKING map in the corner of the screen AND a huge scrolling text box at the top of the screen with these stupid warnings....no they have to just hop in and tell you it's raining and interrupt whatever you are trying to watch every 2 minutes for HOURS on end...pisses me off. I mean...can it not wait like 4 minutes until there is a commercial for this crap? I don't need to see the local news idiot every 3 minutes while I'm trying to watch whatever it is I'm watching....and they do this crap EVERY day...ENOUGH!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] WVVA tried to do the same thing, right as Mediate and Woods were putting on the 18th green of the US Open playoff. Must have pissed off someone with power at the station (Mr. Brady) because they cut off the stupid weather girl and immediately went back to the golf... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I was in Bluefield, Va during the warning and it was a pretty nasty storm. Although it only lasted for about 20-30 minutes, it was wihtout a doubt the most violent rain, lightning and such that I have witnessed since I moved here about 2.5 years ago. [/ QUOTE ] No, that wasn't the storm with the tornado warning. The storm with the warning moved through our area over Green Valley, Glenwood, and the west side of Princeton...it did not affect Bluefield nor Bluefield, VA. The one you are talking about was about 30-45 minutes after the "tornado" cell had already moved across East River Mountain. Even then, we only got a decent rain shower at my house...you could hear the thunder down towards Bluefield, VA but I didn't see any lightning... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VivaFutbol 10 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 I looked out my window and the weather looked harsh over and beyond Big Walker Mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokie07 11 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 A friend of mine was in the area between Montcalm and Matoaka during the warning and has a nice picture on his cell phone of an actual twister (I don't know the scientific names for these) in the air. It never touched down to do damage but you can clearly see its shape in the sky about even with the mountains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMoney55 11 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Oh alright. Well, whatever storm that was, it was the best I had seen here since I moved here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Oh alright. Well, whatever storm that was, it was the best I had seen here since I moved here. [/ QUOTE ] Nothing compared to the storm that blew through Bluefield around 5 PM on June 5, 1992. You ever heard of a "bow echo", it was "bowing" at its peak as it roared through. That was the darkest sky I have ever seen during daytime hours...extremely high winds, lots of cloud to ground lightning, and heavy downpours with hail. You know how they say the sky turns green during a tornado...we'll the sky was a blackish/grayish/green. It knocked down several large trees and damaged some homes as it blew through. Graham was having their graduation that night...knocked the power out and blew over the big tent that they had set up on the football field for Project Graduation. The summers of 1991 and 1992 had some awesome thunderstorms in the Bluefield area...by far the years for storms that I can remember during my life. I had a friend that moved here from Georgia in 1990 and his mother was ready to move back after all the storms we had those two years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beamerball 566 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 [ QUOTE ] A friend of mine was in the area between Montcalm and Matoaka during the warning and has a nice picture on his cell phone of an actual twister (I don't know the scientific names for these) in the air. It never touched down to do damage but you can clearly see its shape in the sky about even with the mountains. [/ QUOTE ] Tornado if its on the ground and funnel cloud otherwise. The storm looked pretty good on the radar as it was passing through southern West Va. Looked like it had developed a bit of a hook echo on the southwestern side. Started weakening near the VA/WV line and continued from there. Only seen a couple of storm reports on the SPC site from Mercer, and that was a tree reported on a house and quarter size hail covering the ground in Matoaka. Never mind, it appears the radar image I had up didn't save properly, haha.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaverteeth 10 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 I had 3 big ol' Green maders fall of the vine. Winds were bad enough. Or Gman might have come up an stole him some!! Who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi 10 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 he needs to get that pic to you so you can post it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I had 3 big ol' Green maders fall of the vine. Winds were bad enough. Or Gman might have come up an stole him some!! Who knows. [/ QUOTE ] I don't eat 'maders...but I've been known to sling a few rotten ones here and there in my day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I had 3 big ol' Green maders fall of the vine. Winds were bad enough. Or Gman might have come up an stole him some!! Who knows. [/ QUOTE ] Fry those babies up!!! Yummmm Yummmm!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 best storm area I've ever lived in is Charleston SC...good god they get some wicked weather in the summer down there....I've seen it as dark as night at 3pm in the afternoon...and don't even want to think about Hurricane Hugo again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Man, I'm getting tired of saying this...told ya so... http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_169205623.html Weather officials: Wind, hail, rain amount to severe thunderstorm By GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph ROCK — Mercer County and other parts of the region experienced a severe thunderstorm Monday evening, but none of it qualified as a tornado. The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va., issued a tornado warning Monday for parts of Mercer County and sections of Giles and Bland counties in Virginia. Doppler radar indicated that a possible tornado was heading for the Matoaka and Montcalm areas. Later that same evening Mercer County 911 received reports that a tornado may have touched down in the Rock River Road area. No injuries were reported, but a fallen tree had damaged a house. No determination was made then about whether a tornado had actually arrived. On Tuesday morning a storm survey team from Blacksburg, Va., arrived in the Rock area to survey the scene. Warning Coordination Meteorologist Phil Hysell and meteorologist Peter Corrigan inspected the damage and took photographs, but they determined that the area had not been hit by a tornado. “We found very limited damage,†Corrigan said soon after returning to the weather center. “Essentially one large tree fell on a house. A lot of debris was from hail. Obviously a large amount of hail fell last night, and mostly leaves were down. The hail was about the size of nickels or quarters, fairly large. For the weather service a penny size or larger is considered a severe thunderstorm.†One resident who lives between Rock and Lashmeet said the hail storm was extremely heavy. “The lawn was covered with ice,†said Evelene Horne, 73, of Wright Mountain. “At times you couldn’t see. It was really bad. The wind was furious. It was blowing so hard that at one point the hail was going in a horizontal line.†Hail literally “chewed up leaves†on the roadway and damaged tomato plants in Horne’s garden, but otherwise there was no serious damage. “It was interesting, but we have a lot to be thankful for,†she said. The tornado warning was issued when radar indicated conditions that could produce one, Corrigan said. The storm was showing rotation, but to have that rotation actually reach the ground is difficult depending on atmospheric conditions. There had been the possibility that the damage was caused by a small tornado. Tornado strength is classified on the Enhanced Fujita scale on a range of 0 to 5 with five being the most powerful. A class EF 0 tornado has winds from 65 to 85 mph, similar to a severe thunderstorm, Corrigan said. An EF 1 has winds of 86 to 110 mph. A tornado on the EF 0 to EF 1 range was in Roanoke, Va., recently, he said. It damaged trees by “skipping around their topsâ€, but no major damage to buildings was reported. According to weather service records, the last confirmed tornado in Mercer County was seen on April 12, 1965, Corrigan said. He did not have the exact location where it was sighted, but it was an EF 2 with 111 to 135 mph winds. Tornados are rare in the region, but not impossible, he emphasized. “Some people think mountains can defend them, but mountains are not a complete defense against tornados,†Corrigan said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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