Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 22, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Sep 22, 1989, 9:27 AM EDT for Burke County, Caldwell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 63 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 22, 1989, 9:27 AM EDT (13:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 22, 1989, 10:30 AM EDT
- In force
- 63 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Burke County, NC, 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, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 157 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
- 293 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 666 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 81 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 657 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 944 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.1
- Supercell composite
- 13.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAVL 221327
TORAVL
NCC023-027-221430-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
927 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
BURKE...CALDWELL
AT 920 AM EDT AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
IN THE HUDSON-RUTHERFORD COLLEGE AREA OF BURKE COUNTY. ESTIMATED
TO BE MOVING NORTHWEST AT AROUND 35 MILE AN HOUR. THIS WILL TAKE IT
INTO CALDWELL COUNTY IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
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.
COLEWhat 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, Sep 22, 3:44 AM EDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before
BULLETIN FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 343 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE DAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THE DAY... ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 800 AM EDT... AT 330 AM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THE RAIN BAND WITH HIGH WINDS JUST ABOUT ACROSS UNION COUNTY...MOVING FROM EAST TOWARD THE WEST. UNION COUNTY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS REPORTED NUMEROUS TREES DOWN THERE. THE BAND WILL MOVE ACROSS LAURENS COUNTY AND SOUTHERN SPARTANBURG COUNTY BY 415 AM. MEANWHILE...ANOTHER LARGER RAIN BAND WAS MOVING TOWARD UNION COUNTY. WAJ
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 3:58 AM EDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 400 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989 A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PORTION OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA INCLUDING THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT ... THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS ... AND THE SANDHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 8 AM. A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NEARLY ALL OF NORTH CAROLINA INCLUDING THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT ... THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS ... AND THE SANDHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL NOON TODAY. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH TODAY. AS THE CENTER OF HUGO CONTINUES TO PUSH TOWARD THE NORTHWEST ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA TOWARD WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING ... WIND SPEEDS AND RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE. THE PRESENT TRACK OF THIS STORM WILL TAKE THE CENTER NEAR AND PROBABLY JUST WEST OF CHARLOTTE. JUST AFTER 3 THIS MORNING ... CHARLOTTE THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER REPORTED A GUST TO 60 MPH. AT 4 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE WAS RECORDING SUSTAINED WINDS OF ABOUT 40 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH. THIS OFFICE HAD RECEIVED NUMEROUS REPORTS OF GREEN OR BLUE FLASHES OCCURRING AS POWER LINES WERE FORCED INTO CONTACT ... AND TRANSFORMERS WERE BEING "BLOWN." RAY BOYLAN ... A LOCAL METEOROLOGIST ... RELAYED A PUBLIC SIGHTING OF A TORNADO ... ALONG THE UNION-MECKLENBURG COUNTY BORDER NEAR THE TOWN OF MINT HILL NORTH CAROLINA AT 345 AM. INVESTIGATION OF THE EVENT REVEALED A VERY LARGE TREE UPROOTED FALLING ACROSS A CAR PORT. ABOIUT THE SAME TIME ... AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED AN 80 FOOT ANTENNA BLOWN DOWN ON RAMA ROAD IN SOUTHEAST CHARLOTTE. THE NEXT STATEMENT BY THIS OFFICE WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 AM. CLARK
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 4:54 AM EDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before
BULLETIN FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 453 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE DAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THE DAY... AT 440 AM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED RAIN BANDS WITH HIGH WINDS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE UPSTATE. TREES AND POWER LINES HAVE BEEN BLOWN DOWN OVER PARTS OF SPARTANBURG...UNION...AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES. IN CHEROKEE COUNTY THERE HAS BEEN A REPORT OF A MOBILE HOME BLOWN OVER BETWEEN GAFFNEY AND CHESNEE. IN GREENVILLE COUNTY...THE MAULDIN POLICE REPORTED TREES DOWN WITH POWER OUTAGES. THE RADAR SHOWED A STRONG RAIN BAND ONCE AGAIN MOVING THROUGH UNION COUNTY...THIS SAME BAND W5ILL AFFECT CHEROKEE...LAURENS...AND POSSIBLY SPARTANBURG COUNTY WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 55 TO 65 MPH. WAJ
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 5:20 AM EDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before
BULLETIN FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 518 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE DAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THE DAY... SPARTANBURG COMMUNICATIONS REPORTED NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS THE CITY...AND A TIN ROOF BLOWN OFF A HOUSE IN PAULINE. THE GREER POLICE REPORTED TREES DOWN THERE WITH POWER OUT IN MOST OF THE CITY. AT 510 AM EDT RADAR SHOWED THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG WINDS ACROSS SPARTANBURG...CHEROKEE...UNION...EASTERN LAURENS...AND PERHAPS PARTS OF GREENVILLE COUNTY. VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS ALSO FALLING ACROSS MUCH OF THE SAME AREA...WITH MORE HEAVY RAIN NEAR THE GEORGIA BORDEGR. WAJ
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 7:14 AM EDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
BULLETIN FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 710 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE DAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THE DAY... AT 706 AM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS SHOWER OVER THE UPSTATE AREA OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE SHOWERS ARE MOVING VERY SLOWLY. AT THE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG AIRPORT 1/2 OF AN INCH OF RAIN FELL SINCE MIDNIGHT. VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTI+NUES TO FALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THIS MORNING AND MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. VALVERDE
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 9:24 AM EDT, 3 minutes before
BULLETIN FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 920 AM EDT FRI SEP 22 1989 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THE DAY... ...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THE DAY... AT 915 AM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED RAIN SHOWER OVER THE NORTHERN COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE SHOWERS ARE MOVING SLOWLY THE NORTHEAST. THE RAIN HAS ENDED IN GREENWOOD...ABBEVILLE AND SOUTHERN LAURENS COUNTIES IN THE UPSTATE. WIND oSPEEDS ARE TAPERING OFF AND HAVE DECREASED TO LESS THAN 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN THE UPSTATE. THE WEATHER SHOULD CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THROUGH THE DAY. VALVERDE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 7:49 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Avery, Mitchell, Yancey | 4 hr |
| Sep 22, 7:49 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Ashe, Watauga | 4 hr |
| Sep 22, 8:36 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Lincoln | 4 hr |
| Sep 22, 8:58 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | Burke, Caldwell | 3 hr |
| Sep 22, 8:58 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GSP | McDowell | 3 hr |
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.