Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 17, 1989Moore County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 1989, 11:36 PM EDT for Moore County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 17, 1989, 11:36 PM EDT (03:36 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 1989, 3:45 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Moore 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 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 00:00Z on 1989-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 138 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1989-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -25 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
138 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1232 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-8 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 KRDU 180336
FFWRDU
NCC125-180745-
 
BULLETIN
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1136 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  345 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
          ...MOORE
 
THE FLOOD WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR MOORE COUNTY HAS BEEN EXTENDED.
TORRENTIAL RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE EVENING HOURS PRODUCED
SOME FLOODING ON HIGHWAYS 211 AND 73 IN THE WEST END TO JACKSON
SPRINGS AREA.
 
ALTHOUGH THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS ENDED AND ONLY LIGHT TO OCCASIONAL
MODERATE RANFALL IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT...THE FLOOD WARNIGS WAS
EXTENDED AS THE WATER ON THE ROADS HAS BEEN SLOW TO DRAIN.
 
 
 
 
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SH_OULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Aug 17, 6:26 PM EDT, 5 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
630 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS OVER TRIANGLE AREA...

AT 630 PM...RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN OVER MUCH OF THE TRIANGLE AREA. THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING
TORRENTIAL RAIN WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE PONDING OF WATER ON STREETS..
MOTORIST SHOULD USE CUATION. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS
THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS OR LOW LYING
AREAS. PLEASE REPORT ANY FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY WHICH WILL RELAY THE REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE
TRIANGLE AREA THROUGH 8 PM. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER
THIS EVENING.

MEANWHILE OTHER THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPPED IN THE GOLDSBORO AREA.
-
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KK
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 7:01 PM EDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
705 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOORE COUNTY...

AT 705 PM...RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN OVER MUCH OF MOORE COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY
HEAVY RAIN WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE PONDING OF WATER ON STREETS..
MOTORIST SHOULD USE CUATION. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS
THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS OR LOW LYING
AREAS. PLEASE REPORT ANY FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY WHICH WILL RELAY THE REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE
MOORE COUNTY THROUGH 830 PM. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER
THIS EVENING. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL MAY
ALSO ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE TRIANGLE AREA HAVE GENERALLY MOVED EAST AND
NORTH OF THE RALEIGH-DURHAM AIRPORT WHERE 1.06 INCHES OF RAIN
FELL BETWEEN 6 AND 7 PM. HAEVY RAIN WAS STILL FALLING BETWEEN
THE AIRPORT AND RALEIGH AS THIS STORM TRACKES SLOWLY NORTHEAST.

MEANWHILE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER PORTIONS OF
GRANVILLE..VANCE..AND FRNAKLIN COUNTI
ES MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 10 MPH.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KK
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 8:18 PM EDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
820 PM EDT THU AUG 17 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER MOORE COUNTY...

AT 820 PM...RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN CONTINUING OVER MUCH OF MOORE COUNTY. THESE STORMS HAVE ALSO
PRODUCE PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHERN MOORE COUNTY. THE HEAVY
RAIN HAS CAUSED WIDESPREAD PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...MOTORIST
PLEASE USE CUATION. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS THERE MAY
ALSO BE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS..LOW LYING AREAS..AND SMALL
STREAMS. PLEASE REPORT ANY FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY WHICH WILL RELAY THE REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE
MOORE COUNTY THROUGH 900 PM. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER
THIS EVENING. DANGEROUS AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WAS
ALSO ACCOMPANYING THESE STORMS.
MEANWHILE OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN WERE OVER THE
JUNTURE OF WAKE...JOHNSTON...AND HARNETT COUNTIES MOVING SLOWLY
NORTHEAST. LOCALIZED FLOODING MAY ALSO OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS
AS WELL AS DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER WESTERN CHATHAM
COUNTY MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AND WILL LIKELY ENTER SOUTHERN
ORANGE COUNTY AROUND 9 PM. SOME SMALL HAIL MAY OCCUR WITH THESE
STORMS AS WELL AS TORRENTIAL RAIN AND FREGUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING.

LISTEN TOY NOAA WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL TV...OR RADIO FOF ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNIINGS.

KK
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 8:48 PM EDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
850 PM EDT THU AUG 18 1989

....HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT...

AAT 840 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT IN WAKE AND
DURHAM COUNTIES. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WHICH MAY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...
FLOODING IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND MAY CAUSE SOME SMALL STREAMS
TO RISE RAPIDLY TO BANKFULL. SOME FLOODING OF ROADS HAVE BEEN
REPORTED AROUND THE RALEIGH DURHAM AIRPORT. PERSONS IN THE TRIANGLE
AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS FOR LOCALLY HEAVY
DOWNPOURS AND POSSIBLE FLOODING ESPECIALLY IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS OVER MOORE COUNTY HAVE SOME FLOODING...THUS
A SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE COUNTY UNTIL
1145PM.
THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST
AB|OUT 10 MPH.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV...OR RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

RA
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 9:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
925 PM EDT THU AUG 18 1989

....HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS HARNETT COUNTY...

AAT 925 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SLOWLY ACROSS HARNETT COUNTY. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING TORRNETIAL RAIN AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS THERE WILL
BE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND MOTORIST SHOULD USE CAUTION.
THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND
OF SMALL STREAMS. PLEASE REPORT ANY FLOODING TO THE NEAREST LAW
ENFORECEMENT OFFICALS WHO WILL THEN RELAY THE REPORT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

MEANWHILE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WERE ALSO
OVER PORTIONS OF WAKE..DURHAM..ORANGE AND CHATHAM COUNTY. THESE
STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST.
^
A SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING CONTINUE IN EFFECT UNTIL
1145 PM FOR MOORE COUNTY WHERE THERE HAS BEEN FLOODING ON HIGHWAYS
211 AND 73 NEAR THE TOWN OF WEST END. THE RAINFALL HAS DIMINSHED
IN MOORE COUNTY BUT ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER
TONIGHT.

FINALLY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..SOME WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER
SCOTLAND COUNTY MOVING NORTHEAST 10 MPH.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV...OR RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KK
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 11:04 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
1100 PM EDT THU AUG 18 1989

... THUNDERSTORMS LINGER ACORSS NORTHEAST PIEDMONT AND
SANDHILLS ...

AT 1100 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THE THUNDERSTORMS
WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAVE DECREASED IN AREAL COVERAGE. HOWEVER
THERE WERE STILL SOME AREAS RECEIVING HEAVY RAIN INCLUDING...SOUTHERN
FRANKLIN COUNTY...DURHAM COUNTY...NORTHWEST CHATHAM COUNTY...AND
EXTREME NORTHEAST HARNETT COUNTY.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING ALONG A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL
BOUNDARY. THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN SLOW MOVERS WITH WEAK STEERING
WINDS ALOFT. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE REPEATLY MOVE ACROSS THE SAME AREAS
RESULTING IN SOME IMPRESSIVE RAINFALL TOTALS INCLUDING...

6 INCHES AT ANGIER IN NORTHEAST HARNETT COUNTY...4.60 INCHES WILLOW
SPRINGS IN SOUTHERN WAKE COUNTY... 4 INCHES AT ABERDEEN IN
SOUTHERN MOORE COUNTY. THE RALEIGH-DURHAM AIRPORT HAS RECEIVED
NEARLY 2 INCHES...WHILE RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT 1 TO 3
INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER A LARGE PORTION OF THE NORTHEAST
PIEDMONT AND SANDHILLS.

THE RAINFALL HAS RESULTED IN FOOLDING ON ROADWAYS AND IN LOW
LYING AREAS OF MOORE AND HARNETT COUNTIES...MAINLY IN THE AREA
AROUND ANGIER IN HARNETT AND IN THE WEST END TO JACKSON SPRINGS
AREA OF MOORE COUNTY. ALTHOUGH THE HEAVY RAIBN HAS ENDED IN MOORE
COUNTY AND WAS MOVING OUT OF HARNETT COUNTY...THE FLOOD WARNINGS
WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM AS THE WATER WAS SLOW TO DRAIN AND
RECEDE.

WHILE THERE MAY BE A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WITH ADDITIONAL
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...THE CURRENT TRENDS WOULD INDICATE
THAT THOSE SHOWERS CONTINUING THROUGH THE NIGHT SHOULD PRODUCE
ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL.

THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF DISPACTERS AT THE VARIOUS COUNTY SHERIFFS
OFFICE FOR THEIR REPORTS OF FLOODING CONDITIONS AND THANKS TO THE
WEATHER STAFFS AT THE AREAL TV STATIONS FOR RELAYING RAINFALL AMOUNTS
FOR THE AREA TO US FROM WEATHER SPOTTERHS.                       KK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 8:42 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHMoore3 hr
Aug 17, 10:45 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHHarnett4 hr
Aug 17, 11:19 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHHoke4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1989Every flash flood warning 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.