Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 17, 1988Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1988, 3:45 PM EDT for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It was in force for 30 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: May 17, 1988, 3:45 PM EDT (19:45 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 1988, 4:15 PM EDT
In force: 30 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Mecklenburg 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 17, 4:00 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Mecklenburg, NC
May 17, 4:15 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Mecklenburg, 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, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 125 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 32 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -259 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1294 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 70 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 KCLT 171947
TORCLT
NCC119-172015-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
345 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  425 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
          ...MECKLENBURG
 
AT 342 EDT WEATHER RADARS SHOWED A TORNADO OVER WEST CENTRAL
MECKLENBURG COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF ROTATING
CLOUDS AND INDICATIVE OF TORNADOES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THIS TORNADO
THREATENS CHARLOTTE IN CENTRAL MECKLENBURG COUNTY.
 
THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED
EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON FOR MECKLENBURG COUNTY.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, May 17, 1:11 PM EDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
110 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT...

AT 100 PM NATIONAL SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA ONCE AGAIN.  A LINE OF STORMS WAS SHOWN FROM
JUST NORTH OF LANDRUM IN NORTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY...ALONG THE
NORTH CAROLINA BORDER...TO NEAR WALHALLA IN OCONEE COUNTY.  THE STORM
NEAR WALHALLA EARLIER PRODUCED PEA SIZE HAIL WHICH COVERED THE GROUND
IN HABERSHAM COUNTY GEORGIA.

THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF POTENTIAL FOR DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM WEATHER
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN THE UPSTATE.  LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO...TV...OR RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

WAJ

Special weather statement, May 17, 1:58 PM EDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
100 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

...TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 OCLOCK
FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AS WELL AS
VIRGINIA... ALL COUNTIES WITHIN A 50 NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS AND BEYOND
ARE WITHIN ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

...MORE SPECIFICALLY THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE
INCLUDED IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

        CLEVELAND... CATAWBA... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
        IREDELL... ROWAN... CABARRUS... UNION...  ANSON... STANLY...
        MONTGOMERY AND RICHMOND.

...IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH AREAS INCLUDE...

        CHEROKEE... YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CATAWBA COUNTY OF
NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 230 THIS AFTERNOON.  SEVERAL REPORTS OF PEA TO
MARBLE SIZE HAIL HAD BEEN RECEIVED BY 145 THIS AFTERNOON FROM WESTERN
CATAWBA COUNTY.

AT 150 THIS AFTERNOON VIGORUS THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN BY RADAR TO
THE SOUTHWEST OF THE SEVERE STORM IN WESTERN CATAWBA COUNTY.  THE
ACTIVITY CONTINUED ON TO THE SOUTHWEST WHERE A THUNDERSTORM WITH
INTENSE RAIN WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWESTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON IN RICHMOND
COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA HAD MOVED ON TO THE NORTHEAST.  ANOTHER AREA
OF STORMS WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHPWESTERN RICHMOND COUNTY FROM SOUTH
CAROLINA AT 150 PM.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 300 THIS AFTERNOON... IN THE
MEANTIME BE ALERT SHOULD WARNINGS BE NEEDED.

RK

Special weather statement, May 17, 2:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT....
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
200 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

...CORRECTION FOR TIME IN THE HEADING IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THIS LINE...

...TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 OCLOCK
FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AS WELL AS
VIRGINIA... ALL COUNTIES WITHIN A 50 NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS AND BEYOND
ARE WITHIN ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

...MORE SPECIFICALLY THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE
INCLUDED IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

        CLEVELAND... CATAWBA... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
        IREDELL... ROWAN... CABARRUS... UNION...  ANSON... STANLY...
        MONTGOMERY AND RICHMOND.

...IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH AREAS INCLUDE...

        CHEROKEE... YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CATAWBA COUNTY OF
NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 230 THIS AFTERNOON.  SEVERAL REPORTS OF PEA TO
MARBLE SIZE HAIL HAD BEEN RECEIVED BY 145 THIS AFTERNOON FROM WESTERN
CATAWBA COUNTY.

AT 150 THIS AFTERNOON VIGORUS THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN BY RADAR TO
THE SOUTHWEST OF THE SEVERE STORM IN WESTERN CATAWBA COUNTY.  THE
ACTIVITY CONTINUED ON TO THE SOUTHWEST WHERE A THUNDERSTORM WITH
INTENSE RAIN WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWESTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON IN RICHMOND
COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA HAD MOVED ON TO THE NORTHEAST.  ANOTHER AREA
OF STORMS WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWESTERN RICHMOND COUNTY FROM SOUTH
CAROLINA AT 150 PM.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 300 THIS AFTERNOON... IN THE
MEANTIME BE ALERT SHOULD WARNINGS BE NEEDED.

RKU

Special weather statement, May 17, 2:55 PM EDT, 50 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT....
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
255 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

...TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 OCLOCK
FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AS WELL AS
VIRGINIA... ALL COUNTIES WITHIN A 50 NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS AND BEYOND
ARE WITHIN ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

...MORE SPECIFICALLY THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE
INCLUDED IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

        CLEVELAND... CATAWBA... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
        IREDELL... ROWAN... CABARRUS... UNION...  ANSON... STANLY...
        MONTGOMERY AND RICHMOND.

...IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH AREAS INCLUDE...

        CHEROKEE... YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER.

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 THIS AFTERNOON FOR
CLEVELAND COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA... THAT TORNADO WARNING REPLACED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CLEVELAND COUNTY WHICH HAD BEEN IN
EFFECT UNTIL 315 EDT.  THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER
IN THE AFTERNOON FOR CATAWBA COUNTY EXPIRED AT 230 THIS AFTERNOON.

AT 352 THIS AFTERNOON A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH INTENSE RAIN
COVERED THE AREA FROM NORTHERN LAKE NORMAN SOUTHWEST THROUGH EASTERN
CATAWBA... CENTRAL LINCOLN... WESTERN GASTON AND SOUTHEASTERN
CLEVELAND COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA.  ALL THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS
LINE HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER AS THEY MOVE
EAST.

EVERYONE EXPERIENCING THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR SEVERE WEATHER.  REMEMBER... IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA OF HAIL THAT
IS THE MOST INTENSE PORTION OF THE THUNDERSTORM AND THE AREA WHERE A
TORNADO COULD OCCUR.

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HAIL FROM 1/4 INCH TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS HAVE
BEEN RECEIVED FROM CATAWBA AND CLEVELAND COUNTIES ON NORTH CAROLINA.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 400 PM THIS AFTERNOON... IN
THE MEANTIME BE ALERT SHOULD ADDITIONAL WARNINGS BE NEEDED.

RK

N

Special weather statement, May 17, 3:11 PM EDT, 34 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT....CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
308 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

...CORRECTION IN THE PARAGRAPH BELOW WHICH BEGINS ...AT 352...  THE
TIME SHOULD HAVE BEEN 252 INSTEAD OF 352...AND TO INCLUDE THE WARNING
THAT HAS NOW BEEN ISSUED FOR GASTON COUNTY...

...TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 OCLOCK
FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AS WELL AS
VIRGINIA... ALL COUNTIES WITHIN A 50 NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS AND BEYOND
ARE WITHIN ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

...MORE SPECIFICALLY THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE
INCLUDED IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES...

        CLEVELAND... CATAWBA... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG...
        IREDELL... ROWAN... CABARRUS... UNION...  ANSON... STANLY...
        MONTGOMERY AND RICHMOND.

...IN SOUTH CAROLINA THE COUNTIES WITHIN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH AREAS INCLUDE...

        CHEROKEE... YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER.

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 THIS AFTERNOON FOR
CLEVELAND COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA... THAT TORNADO WARNING REPLACED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CLEVELAND COUNTY WHICH HAD BEEN IN
EFFECT UNTIL 315 EDT.  THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER
IN THE AFTERNOON FOR CATAWBA COUNTY EXPIRED AT 230 THIS AFTERNOON.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 THIS AFTERNOON
FOR GASTON COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA.

AT 252 THIS AFTERNOON A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH INTENSE RAIN
COVERED THE AREA FROM NORTHERN LAKE NORMAN SOUTHWEST THROUGH EASTERN
CATAWBA... CENTRAL LINCOLN... WESTERN GASTON AND SOUTHEASTERN
CLEVELAND COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA.  ALL THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS
LINE HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER AS THEY MOVE
EAST.

EVERYONE EXPERIENCING THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR SEVERE WEATHER.  REMEMBER... IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA OF HAIL THAT
IS THE MOST INTENSE PORTION OF THE THUNDERSTORM AND THE AREA WHERE A
TORNADO COULD OCCUR.

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HAIL FROM 1/4 INCH TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS HAVE
BEEN RECEIVED FROM CATAWBA AND CLEVELAND COUNTIES ON NORTH CAROLINA.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 400 PM THIS AFTERNOON... IN
THE MEANTIME BE ALERT SHOULD ADDITIONAL WARNINGS BE NEEDED.

RK

Local storm report, May 17, 3:41 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NORTH CAROLINA
340 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

 TIME        EVENT
1245 PM EDT  DIME SIZE (3/4 IN) HAIL REPOTED BY HIGHWAY PATROL 5 MI
             SOUTH OF MARION NC ON ROUTH 221 IN MCDOWELL COUNTY NC.

100 PM EDT  NICKLE SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHERN BURKE COUNTY REPORTED BY
             MORGANTON RADIO.  DIME SIZE HAIL IN EAST BURKE COUNTY.

131 PM EDT  DIME TO NICKLE SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN ROSMAN NC BY COOP
             OBSERVER.  HAIL ONE-INCH DEEP ON GROUND.  TRANSYLVANIA CO.

148 PM EDT  COOP OBSERVER BLANYTRE NC REPORTED DIME SIZE HAIL IN WEST
            HENDERSON COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA.

200 PM EDT  BUNCOMBE COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTED DIME TO NICKLE
            SIZE HAIL ON I-26 AND I-40 INTERCHANGE IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY.
^
240 PM EDT  DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN GRANITE FALLS IN CALDWELL COUNTY
            NORTH CAROLINA.

100 PM EDT  PEA-MARBLE SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN MACON COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA.
            LIGHTNING DAMAGED RADIO TOWER IN FRANKLIN IN MACON COUNTY.

OS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 8:04 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	26 min
May 16, 9:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Stanly	27 min
May 17, 12:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Burke, McDowell	64 min
May 17, 1:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Transylvania	57 min
May 17, 1:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Catawba	52 min
May 17, 1:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Buncombe, Henderson	62 min
May 17, 1:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Polk, Rutherford	64 min
May 17, 2:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cleveland	66 min
May 17, 2:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Caldwell	58 min
May 17, 2:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Cleveland	35 min
May 17, 3:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Gaston	44 min
May 17, 3:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	43 min
May 17, 4:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Mecklenburg	49 min
May 17, 4:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cabarrus, Union	43 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1988 Every tornado warning in 1988 Tornadoes in 1988

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.