Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Raleigh, NC

April 26, 1986Orange County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 26, 1986, 6:35 PM EST for Orange County, North Carolina. It was in force for 60 min. 2 reports 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
Apr 26, 1986, 6:35 PM EST (23:35 UTC)
Expired
Apr 26, 1986, 7:35 PM EST
In force
60 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
Apr 26, 7:00 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 69Orange, NC
Apr 26, 7:10 PM ESTHail 1.75Orange, 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, 11.6 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 1986-04-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1986-04-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 123 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1200 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
165 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 262336
SVRRDU
NCC135-270035-

BULLETIN-IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
635 PM EST SAT APR 26 1986

A..THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 735 PM FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA... ORANGE COUNTY

AT 630 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS
WAS OBSERVED ON WEATHER SERVICE RADAR. THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE
SOUTH AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR.
<
PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY
OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN. REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

THE SEVERE WEATHER WARNING THAT WAS ISSUED EARLIER FOR PERSON COUNTY
REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM. THE SEVERE WEATHER WARNING ISSUED FOR
WAKE AND DURHAM COUNTIES REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM. THE SEVERE
WEATHER WARNING ISSUED FOR CHFATHAM COUNTY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 725
PM.

2334/MS

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, Apr 26, 3:37 PM EST, 2 hours 58 minutes before
^RDUSPSGSO

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
335 PM EST SAT APR 26 1986

AT 330 PM EST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE
OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM DAVIDSON COUNTY NORTH THRU FORSYTH..
SURRY...AND STOKES COUNTY THE HEAVEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN
NORTHWESTEN FORSYTH AND SOUTHWESTERN STOKES.

PERSONS SHOULD BE ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVES THROUGH THE AREA
AS THEY ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HE~AVY DOWNPOURS...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

MOVEMENT IS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED IF NECESSARY.

AH
Local storm report, Apr 26, 5:17 PM EST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
^RDULSRGSO

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  GREENSBORO NC
510 PM EST SAT APR 26 1986

ATTN SELS...
415 PM EST MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN REPORTED BY SHERIFFS
DEPARTMENT IN WESTERN FORSYTH COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA.

437 PM EST SOME MARBLE SIZE HAIL.BUT MOSTLY DIME SIZE.REPORTED BY THE
DAVIDSON COUNTY SHERIFF DEPTARTMENT.MARBLE SIZE AT THOMASVILLE
IN NORTHEASTERN DAVIDSON.AND DIME SIZE BETWEEN LEXINGTON AND
DENTON ALL IN DAVIDSON COUNTY.
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 5:52 PM EST, 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
 550 PM EST SAT APR 26 1986

VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT...

WEATHER RADAR AT 545 PM SHOWED AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT FROM THE NORTHWEST.
ONE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHERN PERSON COUNTY AND ANOTHER
IN NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY.

THESE STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILE(S AN HOUR
AND SHOULD BE EFFECTING PERSON..ORANGE..AND DURHAM COUNTIES BEFORE
700 PM THIS EVENING.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO, TV, OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

RFG
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 5:53 PM EST, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
552 PM EST SAT APR 26 1986

VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT...

WEATHER RADAR AT 545 PM SHOWED AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT FROM THE NORTHWEST.
ONE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHERN PERSON COUNTY AND ANOTHER
IN NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY.

THESE STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN) HOUR
AND SHOULD BE EFFECTING PERSON..ORANGE..AND DURHAM COUNTIES BEFORE
700 PM THIS EVENING.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO, TV, OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

RFG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 6:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHPerson60 min
Apr 26, 6:15 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Wake60 min
Apr 26, 6:25 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham60 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.