Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 5, 1989Caldwell County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1989, 7:39 PM EDT for Caldwell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 31 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 5, 1989, 7:39 PM EDT (23:39 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 8:10 PM EDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Caldwell County, NC

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 1989-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1989-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 213 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAVL 052339
TORAVL
NCC027-060045-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
739 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO AND FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 845 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE 
FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
      EASTERN CALDWELL

A TORNADO WAS REPORTED AT 728PM EDT NEAR CAJAH IN CALDWELL COUNTY.
CAJAH IS BETWEEN LENOIR AND HICKORY. IT WAS REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCMENT OFFICIALS AND WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST.

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 ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.
USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE, SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT, SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT
AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

HM

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, 3 hours 9 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, 3 hours 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, 2 hours 22 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 49 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 38 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, 54 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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 4:37 AM EDTTornado WarningGSPUnion38 min
May 5, 11:32 AM EDTTornado WarningGSPUnion43 min
May 5, 3:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion27 min
May 5, 4:37 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPUnion38 min
May 5, 4:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnson39 min
May 5, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMontgomery47 min
May 5, 5:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAnson37 min
May 5, 6:20 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPHenderson, Polk, Transylvania115 min
May 5, 6:29 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe2 hr
May 5, 7:01 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPBurke, McDowell, Rutherford119 min
May 5, 7:09 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCatawba, Cleveland51 min
May 5, 7:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston, Lincoln58 min
May 5, 7:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg60 min
May 5, 7:39 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPCaldwell96 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.