Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Jun 9, 1988, 3:56 PM EDT for Cabarrus County, North Carolina. It was in force for 19 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
- Jun 9, 1988, 3:56 PM EDT (19:56 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 9, 1988, 4:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 19 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cabarrus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 4:01 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Cabarrus, 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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 97 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 33 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -181 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1764 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 0 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 0 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 0 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KCLT 091956
TORCLT
NCC025-092015-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
356 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
...CABARRUS
AT 350 THIS AFTERNOON CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A POSSIBLE
TORNADO OVER NORTHEASTERN CABARRUS COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA MOVING
TOWARD THE EAST AT 35 MPH.
AT 345 PM...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO DESTROYED A BARN NORTHEAST
OF THE TOWN OF CONCORD.
AT 350 THIS AFTERNOON...ANOTHER PUBLIC REPORT WAS OF 3 FUNNEL CLOUDS
ON ZION CHUCRH ROAD IN EAST CONCORD...ALL IN NORTH CAROLINA.
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 LOWESTt FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
CLARKWhat 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, Jun 9, 2:31 PM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 230 PM EDT THU JUN 09 1988 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 THIS THURSDAY EVENING FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF CLEVELAND...MECKLENBURG...RICHMOND... UNION...CATAWBA...IREDELL...ANSON...LINCOLN...ROWAN...STANLY...GASTON ...CABARRUS...AND MONTGOMERY...AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF... CHEROKEE...YORK...CHESTER...AND LANCASTER... AT 215 THIS AFTERNOON...CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF AREA OF SHOWERS WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN COVERING ALL OF NORTH WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND EXTENDING SOUTHWARD INTO RUTHERFORD COUNTY AND EASTWARD AS FAR AS SOUTHERN PINES. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN LOCATED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN SECTION OF RANDOLPH COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND THE TOWNS OF BISCOE AND TROY THEN INTO MOORE COUNTY...ALL IN NORTH CAROLINA BEFORE 3 PM. THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER MCDOWELL AND CALDWELL COUNTIES WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN RUTHERFORD AND NORTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA BY AROUND 3 PM. A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER WESTERN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE ACROSS THE TOWNS OF NEWTON AND MAIDEN BY AROUND 245 THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAD DEVELOPED ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA - SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF THE TOWN OF YORK IN YORK COUNTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS LAKE CATAWBA AND THE TOWN OF YORK BY AROUND 3 PM. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HAIL THE SIZE OF A PENNY OR LARGER...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS EXCEEDING 60 MPH. PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. PEOPLE ON LAKE NORMAN AND CATAWBA LAKE SHOULD SEEK SAFE HARBOR IMMEDIATELY. THE NEXT STATEMENT ON THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE SHORTLY BEFORE 5 PM. CLARK
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 3:01 PM EDT, 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 300 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR ALL COUNTIES IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA... AT 245 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAD DEVELOPED ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE FROM SOUTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY EXTENDING ACROSS CENTRAL LAURENS COUNTY TO NEAR CALHOUN FALLS IN SOUTHERN ABBEVILLE COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE UPSTATE. RESIDENTS OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TELEVISION...OR LOCAL RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS. ROBBINS/GSP
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 3:07 PM EDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 230 PM EDT THU JUN 09 1988 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 THIS THURSDAY EVENING FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF CLEVELAND...MECKLENBURG...RICHMOND... UNION...CATAWBA...IREDELL...ANSON...LINCOLN...ROWAN...STANLY...GASTON ...CABARRUS...AND MONTGOMERY...AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF... CHEROKEE...YORK...CHESTER...AND LANCASTER... AT 3 THIS AFTERNOON...CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN COVERING MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AND MOVING TOWARD THE EAST ABOUT 35 MPH. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND ONE HALF INCH HAIL WAS OVER NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY...ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF NEWTON. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE TOWN OF NEWTON AND INTO THE NORTHERN REACHES OF LAKE NORMAN...ALL IN NORTH CAROLINA BEFORE 330 THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER NORTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY...ALSO IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE THUNDERSTORM MAY INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS IT PASSES OVER THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF LAKE NORMAN AND INTO NORTHERN MECKLENBURG AND SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY BY 330 THIS AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS OF DAVIDSON AND CORNELIUS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF THREATENING WEATHER. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER EXTREME EASTERN BURKE COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY AND ACROSS THE HICKORY AIRPORT AROUND 315 PM. AT 245 THIS AFTERNOON...AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED 1/2 INCH SIZE HAIL...WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 40 MPH AND TRAFFIC STOPPED DUE TO HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODED HIGHWAYS ALONG INTERSTATE 40 NEAR THE JUNCTION OF HIGHWAY 321 SOUTHWEST OF HICKORY...IN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. AT 255 PM...AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED POWER OUTAGES IN THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE TOWN OF HICKORY IN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HAIL THE SIZE OF A PENNY OR LARGER...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS EXCEEDING 60 MPH. PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. THE NEXT STATEMENT ON THIS SEVER9E THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE SHORTLY BEFORE 5 PM. CLARK
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 3:14 PM EDT, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 305 PM EDT THU JUN 09 1988 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 THIS THURSDAY EVENING FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUARD THE EAST ABOUT 35 MPH. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND ONE HALF INCH HAIL WAS OVER NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY...ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF NEWTON. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE TOWN OF NEWTON AND INTO THE NORTHERN REACHES OF LAKE NORMAN...ALL IN NORTH CAROLINA BEFORE 330 THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER NORTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY...ALSO IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE THUNDERSTORM MAY INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS IT PASSES OVER THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF LAKE NORMAN AND INTO NORTHERN MECKLENBURG AND SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY BY 330 THIS AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS OF DAVIDSON AND CORNELIUS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF THREATENING WEATHER. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER EXTREME EASTERN BURKE COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY AND ACROSS THE HICKORY AIRPORT AROUND 315 PM. AT 245 THIS AFTERNOON...AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED 1/2 INCH SIZE HAIL...WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 40 MPH AND TRAFFIC STOPPED DUE TO HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODED HIGHWAYS ALONG INTERSTATE 40 NEAR THE JUNCTION OF HIGHWAY 321 SOUTHWEST OF HICKORY...IN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. AT 255 PM...AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED POWER OUTAGES IN THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE TOWN OF HICKORY IN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HAIL THE SIZE OF A PENNY OR LARGER...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS EXCEEDING 60 MPH. PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. THE NEXT STATEMENT ON THIS SEVERBE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE SHORTLY BEFORE 5 PM. CLARK
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 3:16 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 305 PM EDT THU JUN 09 1988 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 THIS THURSDAY EVENING FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF CLEVELAND...MECKLENBURG...RICHMOND... UNION...CATAWBA...IREDELL...ANSON...LINCOLN...ROWAN...STANLY...GASTON ...CABARRUS...AND MONTGOMERY...AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF... CHEROKEE...YORK...CHESTER...AND LANCASTER... AT 3 THIS AFTERNOON...CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN COVERING MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA AND MOVING TOWARD THE EAST ABOUT 35 MPH. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND ONE HALF INCH HAIL WAS OVER NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY...ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF NEWTON. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE TOWN OF NEWTON AND INTO THE NORTHERN REACHES OF LAKE NORMAN...ALL IN NORTH CAROLINA BEFORE 330 THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER NORTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY...ALSO IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE THUNDERSTORM MAY INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS IT PASSES OVER THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF LAKE NORMAN AND INTO NORTHERN MECKLENBURG AND SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY BY 330 THIS AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS OF DAVIDSON AND CORNELIUS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF THREATENING WEATHER. A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER EXTREME EASTERN BURKE COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN CATAWBA COUNTY AND ACROSS THE HICKORY AIRPORT AROUND 315 PM. AT 245 THIS AFTERNOON...AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED 1/2 INCH SIZE HAIL...WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 40 MPH AND TRAFFIC STOPPED DUE TO HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODED HIGHWAYS ALONG INTERSTATE 40 NEAR THE JUNCTION OF HIGHWAY 321 SOUTHWEST OF HICKORY...IN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. AT 255 PM...AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED POWER OUTAGES IN THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE TOWN OF HICKORY IN CATAWBA COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HAIL THE SIZE OF A PENNY OR LARGER...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS EXCEEDING 60 MPH. PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. THE NEXT STATEMENT ON THIS SEVERFE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE SHORTLY BEFORE 5 PM. CLARK
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 3:19 PM EDT, 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC 320 PM EDT THU JUN 9 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 8PM EDT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TIL 800 PM EDT THIS EVENING: MCDOWELL POLK HENDERSON BURKE RUTHERFORD TRANSYLVANIA AND CALDWELL. AT 315 PM THIS AFTERNOON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM OVER EASTERN HENDERSON COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MILE AN HOUR AND SHOULD EFFECT NORTHERN POLK AND SOUTHERN RUTHERFORD COUNTY DURHING THE NEXT HOUR. PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF THE THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. FURTHER STAEMENTS OR WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY. GRC
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 4:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cabarrus, Montgomery, Stanly | 64 min |
| Jun 9, 4:28 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Mecklenburg | 32 min |
| Jun 9, 6:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Mecklenburg | 42 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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.