Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 51, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 5, 1989Durham County, Orange County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 5:16 PM EDT for Durham County, Orange County, North Carolina. It was in force for 59 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: May 5, 1989, 5:16 PM EDT (21:16 UTC)
Expired: May 5, 1989, 6:15 PM EDT
In force: 59 min
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Whole counties

Counties Durham County, NC, Orange 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, 5:40 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Durham, 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 text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, 2:24 PM EDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 5, 2:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 5, 3:33 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 5, 3:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
335 PM EDT FRI MAY 05 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO RUMBLE ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN
NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 325 PM EDT...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DETECTED BY
WEATHER RADAR OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA.
ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NO SEVERE THUNDERSTOMS DETECTED AT THIS TIME
...THE WEATHER SITUATION IS SUCH THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

SINCE THE GROUND IS ALREADY SATURATED FROM RECENT RAINS...LOCAL FLOODING
COULD OCCUR FROM THE HEAVIER STORMS IN MORE FLOOD PRONE AREAS.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO..TV..OR WENATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

PD

Special weather statement, May 5, 4:35 PM EDT, 41 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
435 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 430 PM EDT THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE
AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
HEAVY DOWNPURS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THE HEAVIEST STORM IS OVER
NORTHERN IREDELL COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES
PER HOUR.
s
THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS..HEAVY DOWNPOURS
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO..TV OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND/OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

GR

Special weather statement, May 5, 5:15 PM EDT, 1 minute before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
514 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...TORNADO WATCH VALID UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT
   ...NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 510 PM EDT THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE
AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THE HEAVIEST STORM IS OVER
THE CITY OF GREENSBORO AND NORTHWEST IREDELL COUNTY OF THE NORTHWEST
PIEDMONT. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS..HEAVY DOWNPOURS
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO..TV OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND/OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

GR

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 5, 5:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Moore	49 min
May 5, 6:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Chatham	42 min
May 5, 7:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Durham	47 min
May 5, 7:31 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Durham	44 min
May 5, 7:37 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Granville	53 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1989 Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data.