Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Blacksburg, VA

July 26, 1986Alexander County, Iredell County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 26, 1986, 6:17 PM EDT for Alexander County, Iredell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 60 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
Jul 26, 1986, 6:17 PM EDT (22:17 UTC)
Expired
Jul 26, 1986, 7:17 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Alexander County, NC, Iredell 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
Jul 26, 6:35 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Alexander, 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, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 1986-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 173 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 1986-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 41 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
173 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-172 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1166 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 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 KGSO 262217
SVRGSO
NCC003-097-262217-

BULLETIN-IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
617 PM EDT SAT JUL 26 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 717 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTH CAROLINA...SOUTHERN ALEXANDER...IREDELL

AT 615 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHEAST
ALEXANDER COUNTY. MOVING SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST.

DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL..VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN
SIGHTED OR INDICATED BY RADAR. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS WINDS
STRONGER
THAN 57 MPH OR HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH OR LARGER.

RESIDENTS OF IREDELL AND SOUTHEAST ALEXANDER COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES
YOU...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

REPORT ANY SEVERE W?EATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

RJK

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, Jul 26, 12:44 PM EDT, 5 hours 33 minutes before
^WBCSPSROA

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
1245 PM  EDT  SAT JUL 26 1986

AT 1245 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A HEAVY THUNDERSTROM IN WESTERN
PULASKI COUNTY VIRGINIA.  STRONG GUSTY WINDS  HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND
SMALL HAIL COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM AS IT MOVES
EASTWARD ACROSS PULASKI  MONTGOMERY AND FLOYD COUNTIE DURING THE
NEXT TWO HOURS.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS SOME HEAVY WERE LOCATED NORTH OF THE ROANOKE
AREA IN ROCKBRIDGE AMHERST ANDTO THE NORTH.

HS
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 1:10 PM EDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
^WBCSPSROA

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
115  PM  EDT  SAT JUL 26 1986

AT 115 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FORMING
ABOUT 15 MILES WEST AND NORTHWEST OF ROANOKE VIRGINIA.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE IN PULASKI COUNTY AND
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FORMING IN PATRICK CARROLL AND
GILES COUNTIES.  SOME HEAVY DOWNPOURS  STRONG GUSTY WINDS
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING SMALL HAIL AND URBAN SMALL STREAM FLOODING
COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS.  THE STORMS ARE MOVING
EASTWARD AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

HS
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 1:25 PM EDT, 4 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LYNCHBURG VA
120 PM EDT SAT JUL 26 1986

AT 120 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
NORTHERN HALF OF AMHERST COUNTY VIRGINIA..TO THE WEST OF TYE RIVER
AND THE TOWN OF AMHERST.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS..BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS
AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS AMHERST COUNTY
OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

KGH
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 1:38 PM EDT, 4 hours 39 minutes before
^WBCSPSROA

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
145  PM  EDT  SAT JUL 26 1986

AT 145 PM RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST
SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA COUNTIES. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE VERY HEAVY AND COULD PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS  STRONG GUSTY
WINDS SMALL HAIL AND LOCALIZED SMALL STREAM FLOODING.
AT 145 PM THE HEAVIEST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN
BOTETOURT ROANOKE AND CARROLL COUNTIES.
THE STORMS ARE FORMING AND DISSIPATING AT A RAPID RATE SO STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS COUL OCCUR THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST VIRGINA THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON.

HS
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 3:04 PM EDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
^WBCSPSROA

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROANOKE VA
300  PM  EDT  SAT JUL 26 1986

AT 300 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN ROANOKE
AND BOTETOURT COUNTIES. STRONG GUSTY WIND  VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS
DANGEROUS LIGHTNONG  SMALL HAIL AND URBAN SMALL STREAM FLOODING
IN LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.  THEY ARE MOVING SOUTH AT ABOUT
25 MPH.
 OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED THROUGHOUT SW
VIRGINIA.  THE STRONGEST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN FLOYD AND
PATRICK COUNTIES.

HS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 26, 4:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKRockingham65 min
Jul 26, 5:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKAlamance, Caswell60 min
Jul 26, 6:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKDavie50 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.