Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 16, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1989, 7:09 PM EDT for Catawba County, Cleveland County, North Carolina. It was in force for 51 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 5, 1989, 7:09 PM EDT (23:09 UTC)
- Expired
- May 5, 1989, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 51 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Catawba County, NC, Cleveland 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 5, 7:11 PM EDT | Tornado F4 | Catawba, NC | |
| May 5, 7:15 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Cleveland, 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, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 149 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- NaN m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 213 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 239 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 052310
TORCLT
NCC035-045-060000-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
709 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
...CATAWBA...CLEVELAND
AT 709 EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED TORNADOES OVER NORTHWESTERN CLEVELAND
COUNTY AND SOUTHWESTERN CATAWBA COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS TOWARD THE
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY TRAINED SEVERE
WEATHER OBSERVERS IN CLEVELAND COUNTY.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIVECE 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 5, 4:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 245 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR OCONEE.. PICKENS.. GREENVILLE.. SPARTANBURG.. ANDERSON.. AND ABBEVILLE COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9PM... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE INCREASING OVER THE SOUTH CASROLINA UPSTATE THIS AFTERNOON. AT 240 PM NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY THROUGH THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES OF THE PALMETTO STATE.. WITH HEAVY RAIN FALLING IN NORTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY AND NEAR LAKE GREENWOOD. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA IS VERY UNSTABLE AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PERSONNEL IN ABBEVILLE REPORTED HEAVY RAIN FALLING AT 225 PM. MUSGROVE
Special weather statement, May 5, 4:39 PM EDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 435 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH FOR OCONEE...PICKENS...GREENVILLE...SPARTANBURG... ANDERSON...AND ABBEVILLE COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9PM... AT 430 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NORTHWEST OF ATHENS GEORGIA TO SOUTHEAST OF ATLANTA. THIS SYSTEM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE UPSTATE AREuA OF SOUTH CAROLINA BETWEEN 500 PM AND 600 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON. WARNINGS ARE BEING ISSUED IN GEORGIA FOR THESE STORMS. DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN SOUTH CAROLINA FROM THIS SYSTEM. VALVERDE
Special weather statement, May 5, 5:17 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 515 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL COUNTIES IN THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA... AT 510 PM EDT. RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING JUST SOUTH OF OCONEE COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA TO NORTH OF MACON GEORGIA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN ATHENS AND MACON. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO ANDERSON...ABBEVILLE AND GREENWOOD COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA BY 545 PM EDT. VALVERDE
Special weather statement, May 5, 5:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC 549 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 AT 540 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN MACON COUNTY SOUTH OF FRANKLIN AND NEAR LAKE TOXAWAY IN TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY. THEY WERE MOVING NORTHEAST A 50 MPH. ALSO SOME VERY STRONG STORMS WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS SPOTTED IN OCONNEE COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA. THESE WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH FREQENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING HAIL AND VERY STRONG WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. JUST NORTH OF DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE MORE THAN 2 INCHES(2.05) OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE AROUND 5PM. SOME STREET FLOODING IS OCCURRING IN THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE. HM
Special weather statement, May 5, 6:01 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 600 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 //////SEVERE WEATHER POSES AN UNUSAL THREAT THIS EVENING... BE PREPARED////// AT 555 THIS EVENING WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERE WEATHER WELL EAST OF CHARLOTTE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE ALSO LOCATED OVER SOUTHWESTERN AND NORTHEASTERN RICHMOND COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. THESE STORMS ARE BEING MONITORED CLOSELY AND MAY REQUIRE A WARNING. EVERYONE IN RICHMOND COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER AS THIS THUNDERSTORM MOVES THROUGH. MOVEMENT OF ALL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. ... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT FOR CATAWBA... CLEVELAND... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG... UNION... CABARRUS... IREDELL... ROWAN... STANLY... ANSON... RICHMOND AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE SAME TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF CHEROKEE... YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER... THE COUNTIES GIVEN ARE ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE TORNADO WATCH WHICH COVERS A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA... WELL TO THE SOUTHWEST OF CHARLOTTE IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA VIOLENT WEATHER REQUIRING WARNINGS HAS BEEN REPORTED. THIS ACTIVITY IS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT IN AN EXPLOSIVELY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. EVERYONE THROUGHOUT THE TORNADO WATCH AREA SHOULD TAKE SEVERE WEATHER INTO CONSIDERATION WHILE THE TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. ONCE AGAIN THE TORNADO WATCH FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THE NEXT SCHEDULED STATEMENT IS FOR 7 OCLOCK... BE ALERT AND PREPARED SHOULD WARNINGS BE REQUIRED IN THE MEANTIME. RK
Special weather statement, May 5, 6:45 PM EDT, 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 647 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989 //////VERY...VERY EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AND CONDUCIVE TO SEVERE WEATHER IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING CATAWBA COUNTY AND THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA FROM THE SOUTHWEST... THIS WILL BE THE SECOND WAVE OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT TODAY AND HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR BEING THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THE TWO. EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE SEVERE WEATHER INTO CONSIDERATION THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT... AT 644 THIS EVENING A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS SHOWN BY RADAR FROM WEST OF MORGANTON SOUTH INTO EXTREME WESTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY AND ON SOUTH THROUGH SPARTANBURG AND LAURENS COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STORMS IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES HAVE PRODUCED SEVERE WEATHER IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND NUMEROUS WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. THESE STORMS OR OTHER SEVERE STORMS WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA EARLY TONIGHT. MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR WHILE THE LINE MOVES EAST AT 15. WELL TO THE EAST OF CHARLOTTE WHERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED EARLIER WEATHER RADAR SHOWED ALL ACTIVITY HAD MOVED EAST TOWARD FAYETTEVILLE AND RALEIGH. BUT... SEVERE WEATHER WILL LIKELY RETURN TO THESE COUNTIES LATER THIS EVENING. ... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT FOR CATAWBA... CLEVELAND... LINCOLN... GASTON... MECKLENBURG... UNION... CABARRUS... IREDELL... ROWAN... STANLY... ANSON... RICHMOND AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE SAME TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF CHEROKEE... YORK... CHESTER AND LANCASTER... THE COUNTIES GIVEN ARE ON*LY A SMALL PORTION OF THE TORNADO WATCH WHICH COVERS A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA... THE NEXT SCHEDULED STATEMENT IS FOR 8 OCLOCK... BE ALERT AND PREPARED SHOULD WARNINGS BE REQUIRED IN THE MEANTIME. KUHN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 4:37 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Union | 38 min |
| May 5, 11:32 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Union | 43 min |
| May 5, 3:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Union | 27 min |
| May 5, 4:37 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Union | 38 min |
| May 5, 4:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Anson | 39 min |
| May 5, 5:28 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Montgomery | 47 min |
| May 5, 5:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Anson | 37 min |
| May 5, 6:20 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Henderson, Polk, Transylvania | 115 min |
| May 5, 6:29 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Buncombe | 2 hr |
| May 5, 7:01 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Burke, McDowell, Rutherford | 119 min |
| May 5, 7:17 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Gaston, Lincoln | 58 min |
| May 5, 7:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Mecklenburg | 60 min |
| May 5, 7:39 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Caldwell | 96 min |
| May 5, 7:39 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Caldwell | 31 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989
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.