Severe Thundestorm Watch

[beamer_ball]

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 555
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
450 PM EDT MON JUN 16 2008

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN KENTUCKY
PARTS OF SOUTHERN OHIO
PARTS OF WESTERN VIRGINIA
LARGE PART OF WEST VIRGINIA

. VIRGINIA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BLAND BUCHANAN DICKENSON
GILES LEE MONTGOMERY
PULASKI RUSSELL SCOTT
SMYTH TAZEWELL WASHINGTON
WISE WYTHE

VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT CITIES INCLUDED ARE

BRISTOL NORTON

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 450 PM UNTIL 1100 PM EDT.

DISCUSSION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF COLD FRONT NOW MOVING SEWD ACROSS THE UPPER OH RIVER VALLEY. WITH MDTLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS ALONG WITH 40KT OF SHEAR...POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL PERSIST WITH STORMS THRU THE EVENING.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

[beamer_ball]

The National Weather Service in Morristown has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Wise County in southwest Virginia...
this includes the city of wise...

* until 1000 PM EDT

* at 911 PM EDT... National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail... and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located 20 miles northwest of wise... or near Whitesburg... and moving southeast at 45 mph. This storm has a history of producing large hail and damaging winds over parts of southeast Kentucky.

* The severe thunderstorm will be near...
wise by 935 PM EDT...

In addition to large hail and damaging winds... continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors
immediately! Lightning is one of natures primary killers. Remember...if you can hear thunder... you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM EDT
Monday evening for southwest Virginia.

[beamer_ball]

This storm produced some tennis ball size hail back in parts of KY (Owsley Co.).

[SWVA-Football]

Lots of hail in both Coeburn and Castlewood. Definitely a pretty good storm that passed through.

[LCAS_712]

Very fast moving storm. I tried to chase it from Wise to Sandy Ridge. The cloud to ground lighting was awsome with this storm, the view coming off of wise mountain to coeburn with all of the cloud to ground lightning was good. I did encounter about dime to quarter size hail. I est. the winds to be around 35 and gust to be around 45. I kept up with it until I got to Coeburn and where I had to make so many turns getting to the top of Sandy Ridge It had passed me up. Lots of lighting towards Castlewood. No damage in Coeburn to speak of, just some limbs and leaves around because of the hail. Hey Beamer I have got a question, Why does some lightning have a very low amplitude thumder and some lightning some of the most powerful thumder you have ever heard? Is it becuase of the heat from the lightning expanding different volumes of air or what? If you dont have the answer I was thinking about e-mailing Dave Dierks with this one.

[beamer_ball]

I think Dierks would have a better explanation probably but I believe it has more to do with the location of the strike and what all the sound is passing through to get to you.