Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 55, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 5, 1989Chatham County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 9:45 PM EDT for Chatham County, North Carolina. It was in force for 60 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, 9:45 PM EDT (01:45 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 10:45 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Chatham 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 5, 10:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Chatham, 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 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 72 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 1989-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 608 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 1989-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 439 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
608 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
607 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
439 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
552 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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, 4:35 PM EDT, 5 hours 10 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, 4 hours 30 minutes 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
Special weather statement, May 5, 5:21 PM EDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
521 PM EDT FRI MAY 5 1989

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THE PIEDMONT AND
SANDHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA. THE WATCH ALSO INCLUDES PORTIONS OF THE
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS...AND COASTAL PLAIN.

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. THE POSSIBILITY
EXISTS THAT VERY DAMAGING TORNADOES WILL OCCUR IN NORTH CAROLINA.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY.

THE AIR OVER THE STATE IS VERY UNSTABLE. A SMALL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
MOVING TOWARD THE STATE FROM THE SOUTHWEST WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE OF
SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING. DAMAGE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED IN NORTH
GEORGIA AS THE WEATHER SYSTEM MOVED THROUGH THAT AREA.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO..TV..OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
^
LGL
Local storm report, May 5, 5:44 PM EDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
540 PM EDT FRI MAY 05 1989

TIME           EVENT
 520 PM EDT    HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...TREE DOWN...REPORTED AS A TORNADO.
               NORTHERN CHAPEL HILL.

520 PM EDT     EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER ORANGE COUNTY...DIME
               SIZE HAIL NEW HOPE CHURCH ROAD OFF NC 86 NORTH OF
               CHAPEL HILL.

540 PM EDT     LARGE HAIL IN NORTHERN DURHAM COUNTY. SIZE OF PENNIES.

JBP
Special weather statement, May 5, 7:07 PM EDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
700 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 NORTHERN FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 655 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWS A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME
WITH VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER THE NORTHERN
FOOTHILL COUNTY OF WILKES AND EXTENDS SOUTH OF HICKORY NORTH CAROLINA.
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS..HEAVY DOWNPOURS
...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SOME FLOODING OF ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS.

PERSON IN ALEXANDER COUNTY OF THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND IREDELL COUNTY
OF THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT CAN EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AT AROUND 730 PM.

REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEQNCY
AND ADVISE THEM TO RELAY THE INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED WHEN CONDITIONS WARRANT.

GR
Local storm report, May 5, 7:32 PM EDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
728 PM EDT FRI MAY 05 1989

TIME           EVENT
720 PM EDT     POSSIBLE TORNADO...12 INCH DIAMETER TREES TWISTED OFF
               ABOUT 30 FEET UP FROM THE GROUND. IN DURHAM COUNTY
               ABOUT 3 MILES WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF NC 54 AND
               NC 55. POWER OUT.

JBP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 9:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHOrange, Person65 min
May 5, 10:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham115 min
May 5, 10:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHLee69 min
May 5, 10:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHarnett, Wake55 min
May 6, 2:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham49 min
May 6, 2:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville, Wake47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1989Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.