Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 11, 1986Orange County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 11, 1986, 5:44 PM EDT for Orange County, North Carolina. It was in force for 56 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 1986, 5:44 PM EDT (21:44 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 1986, 6:40 PM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Orange County, NC

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 11, 6:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Orange, NC

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 70 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 1986-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 688 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 1986-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
688 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
762 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 11, 1:49 PM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
 147 PM EDT MON AUG 11 1986

...THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 140 PM EDT.. WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER THE PIEDMONT..FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF NORTH
CAROLINA.

IN THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT.. AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED
RAPIDLY NEAR THE DURHAM-GRANVILLE COUNTY LINE AND IS LIKELY TO
AFFECT SOUTHERN GRANVILLE COUNTY BY 230 PM.  ANOTHER STRONG
THUNDERSTORM HAS BEEN DETECTED JUST SOUTHWEST OF KERR LAKE NORTH
OF HENDERSON.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING NORTHEAST AT
25 MILES AN HOUR.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS MAY EXPERIENCE INTENSE LIGHTNING
..SUDDEN GUSTY WIND.. AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. ALSO HEAVY RAIN MAY
CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING BECAUSE OF REDUCED VISIBILITY AND PONDING OF
 WATER ON HIGHWAYS.

LISTN TO LOCAL RADIO..TV..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OF
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

RFG
Special weather statement, Aug 11, 3:12 PM EDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
310 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE NORTHWEST
   PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 305 PM RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS FROM PILOT
MOUNTAIN IN SURRY COUNTY THROUGH TAYLORSVILLE IN ALEXANDER COUNTY.
THE HEAVIEST STORM IN THIS LINE WAS OVER SOUTHERN ALEXANDER COUNTY..
SOUTH OF TAYLORSVILLE. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING HAIL..DAMAGING WINDS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP.

PEOPLE IN THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SHOULD TAKE SHELTER BEFORE
THEY APPROACH.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR ALAMANCE COUNTY
UNTIL 400 PM.

RBN
Special weather statement, Aug 11, 4:16 PM EDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
415 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE NORTHWEST
   PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 410 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS..NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH
CAROLINA. THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE SOUTHEAST OF STATESVILLE..JUST
WEST OF MOCKSVILLE AND BETWEEN BETWEEN HIGH POINT AND ASHEBORO.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH.

AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING HAIL..DAMAGING WINDS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE IN THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SHOULD TAKE SHELTER BEFORE
THEY APPROACH.

VERY HEAVY RAINS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN MOU+NTAINS AND NORTHERN FOOTHILLS. PEOPLE
THERE SHOULD ALSO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS
AND SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

RBN
Special weather statement, Aug 11, 5:27 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
528 PM EDT SUN AUG 10 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE NORTHWEST
   PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 525 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST
PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA EXTENDING FROM CASWELL COUNTY..THROUGH
GUILFORD AND NORTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTIES INTO SOUTHERN DAVIDSON
COUNTY. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE OVER CASWELL AND NORTHWEST RANDOLPH
COUNTIES. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH.

AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT
THIS EVENING.. HAIL..DAMAGING WINDS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE.

OVER AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAIN HAS FALLEN AT THE TRIAD REGIONAL
AIRPORT BETWEEN 445 AND 525 PM.

PERSONS IN THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SHOULD TAKE SHELTER AS
STORMS APPROACH..

RBN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 2:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville, Vance69 min
Aug 11, 2:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHFranklin64 min
Aug 11, 2:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHOrange43 min
Aug 11, 3:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham34 min
Aug 11, 3:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWake30 min
Aug 11, 4:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax33 min
Aug 11, 4:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHFranklin40 min
Aug 11, 4:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax67 min
Aug 11, 7:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWake48 min
Aug 11, 7:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGreene, Pitt61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.