Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Raleigh, NC

June 26, 1988Harnett County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Jun 26, 1988, 9:56 PM EDT for Harnett County, North Carolina. It was in force for 34 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 26, 1988, 9:56 PM EDT (01:56 UTC)
Expired: Jun 26, 1988, 10:30 PM EDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Whole counties

County Harnett 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 26, 10:10 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Harnett, 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 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 122 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: 1428 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -198 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1250 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 186 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 245 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 270158
TORRDU
NCC085-270230-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
956 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
          ...SOUTHWESTERN HARNETT
 
AT 955 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
IN SOUTHWEST HARNETT COUNTY.
 
A SHERIFFS DEPUTY HAS ALSO REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD ALONG HIGHWAY 24
IN SOUTHWEST HARNETT.
 
THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST 20 MPH.
 
 
 
TORNADOES IN THE SOUTH ARE HARD TO SEE BECAUSE OF RAIN...LOW
CLOUDS...AND TREES. TAKE COVER NOW...DO NOT TRY TO WAIT ON THE
STORM AND DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN IT.

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

Local storm report, Jun 26, 7:17 PM EDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
716 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988

TIME           EVENT
715 PM EDT    3 NORTH NORTHEAST OF HENDERSON IN VANCE COUNTY. PEA TO
              MARBLE SIZE HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 31 MPH.

JBP

Local storm report, Jun 26, 7:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  GREENSBORO NC
730 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988

ATTN SELS...

549 PM EDT...2149Z LARGE HAIL REPORTED NORTHEAST ROCKINGHAM COUNTY.
600 PM EDT...2200Z MOBILE HOME OVERTURNED AND TREES DOWN NORTHWEST
     CASWELL COUNTY..CONDITIONS SPREAD SOUTHEAST AFTERWARDS.
602 PM EDT...2202Z 3/4 INCH HAIL MOORESVILLE IN SOUTHERN IREDELL
     COUNTY..2214Z GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL MORESVILLE.  ALSO 50 TO 100
     TREES DOWN IN NORTHERN MOORESVILLE-THESE REPORTS FROM RELIABLE
     WEATHER SPOTTER.
607 PM EDT...2207Z POWER LINES AND SOME TREES DOWN NEAR WALKERTOWN
     IN FORSYTH COUNTY..LARGE HAIL IN STANLEYVILLE AREA NORTH OF
     WINSTON SALEM.
620 PM EDT...TREES DOWN IN GREENSBORO...FROM OFF DUTY WSS.
623 PM EDT...2223Z 59 MPH WINDS MEASURED AT LOCAL TV STATION-CHAN 2.
642 PM EDT...FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED ALAMANCE COUNTY NORTH OF AND IN
     BURLINGTON.  HIGH WINDS REPORTED IN ELON COLLEGE AREA IN
     W. CENT PART OF COUNTY..LATER REPORTS INDICATED TREES DOWN
     IN ELON COLLEGE AREA..AND THEN AFTER 8 MILES S OF BURLINGTON..
     AND 3 MILES SE OF GRAHAM.

RBN

Special weather statement, Jun 26, 8:29 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
825 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF THE TRIAD IN THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT
   OF NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 822 PM RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER DAVIDSON AND
RANDOLPH COUNTIES. THE STORMS STRETCHED FROM THOMASVILLE TO HIGH ROCK
LAKE..AND ALSO ACROSSED NORTHCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST RANDOLPH COUNTY
NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF ASHEBORO.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST
AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS..STRONG GUSTY WINDS..HAIL
AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

PERSONS IN DAVIDSON AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IF STORMS
APPROACH.   THESE STORMS MAY REQUIRE WARNINGS IF THEY CONTINUE TO
INTENSIFY.

LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNING ON YOUR WEATHER
RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TV.

RBN

Local storm report, Jun 26, 9:13 PM EDT, 43 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  GREENSBORO NC
910 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988

ATTN SELS...

HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF 2 FATALITIES IN OUR COUNTY WARNING AREA
FROM THE STORMS..

1.  A MAN WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY LIGHTNING WHILE BOATING ON
    LAKE NORMAN.  NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT PORTION OF LAKE HE WAS
    BROUGHT IN FROM..HOWEVER IREDELL COUNTY TRANSPORTED HIM.

2.  BOY WAS KILLED BY TREE FALLING ON HIM IN GREENSBORO.

RBN
     W. CENT PART OF CXOUNTY..LATER REPORTS INDICATED TREES DOWN
     IN ELON COLLEGE AREA..AND THEN AFTER 8 MILES S OF BURLINGTON..
     AND 3 MILES SE OF GRAHAM.

RBN

Local storm report, Jun 26, 9:17 PM EDT, 39 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  GREENSBORO NC
918 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988

ATTN SELS...

855 PM EDT...0055Z A FEW TREES DOWN IN RANDOLPH COUNTY JUST NORTH
     OF ASHEBORO.

RBN
RBN

Local storm report, Jun 26, 9:18 PM EDT, 38 minutes before

STORM REPORT...CORRECTED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  GREENSBORO NC
910 PM EDT SUN JUN 26 1988

ATTN SELS...

HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF 2 FATALITIES IN OUR COUNTY WARNING AREA
FROM THE STORMS..

1.  Ac MAN WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY LIGHTNING WHILE BOATING ON
    LAKE NORMAN.  NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT PORTION OF LAKE HE WAS
    BROUGHT IN FROM..HOWEVER IREDELL COUNTY TRANSPORTED HIM.

2.  BOY WAS KILLED BY TREE FALLING ON HIM IN GREENSBORO.

RBN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 26, 8:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Harnett	31 min
Jun 26, 8:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Harnett	37 min
Jun 26, 8:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Wayne	39 min
Jun 26, 9:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Lee	38 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.