Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 1, 1990Cherokee County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 1, 1990, 4:10 PM EDT for Cherokee County, North Carolina. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 1, 1990, 4:10 PM EDT (20:10 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 1990, 5:15 PM EDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Cherokee 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

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 12:00Z on 1990-07-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 914 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 12:00Z on 1990-07-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
914 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-155 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1350 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
13 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 012010
SVRAVL
NCC039-012115-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
410 PM EDT SUN JUL 1 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
      CHEROKEE

AT 410 PM EDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS SEEN BY RADAR ENTERING
NORTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
ABOUT 25 MILES TOWARD MURPHY.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE, SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND, LARGE HAIL, VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  STAY
INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  PEOPLE IN ITS PATH SHOULD MOVE TO A
REINFORCED SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

SCOTT

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, Jul 1, 2:08 PM EDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
NCZ007-008-012000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
205 PM EDT SUNDAY JUL 1 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF
NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9PM EDT.  THIS WATCH INCLUDES BUT IS
NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ... CLEVELAND
... CATAWBA ... LINCOLN ... GASTON ... MECKLENBURG ... CABARRUS ...
STANLY ... MONTGOMERY ... IREDELL AND ROWAN ... AND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA COUNTIES OF ... CHEROKEE ... YORK ... CHESTER ... AND
LANCASTER.

AT 2 PM EDT ... CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR DETECTED SEVERAL SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA ...
EXTENDING INTO SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA.  A RAIN SHOWER WAS LOCATED OVER
THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ... DUE NORTH OF ASHEVILLE.  ALL OF THE
PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH.

REMEMBER A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE SUCH
TO FAVOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  IF SEVERE WEATHER IS
DETECTED A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.  STAY TUNED TO RADIO OR CONTINUE
TO WATCH TELEVISION TO KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE JUST BEFORE 4 PM
EDT.l

CLARK
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 3:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
SCZ001>004-012000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
300 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT...

AT 250 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS
DEVELOPING OVER THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS
OVER NORTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE
LOCATED IN EASTERN TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THESE
STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
VALVERDE
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 3:48 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
NCZ007-008-012000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
348 PM EDT SUNDAY JUL 1 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF
NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 9PM EDT.  THIS WATCH INCLUDES BUT IS
NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ... CLEVELAND
... CATAWBA ... LINCOLN ... GASTON ... MECKLENBURG ... CABARRUS ...
STANLY ... MONTGOMERY ... IREDELL AND ROWAN ... AND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA COUNTIES OF ... CHEROKEE ... YORK ... CHESTER ... AND
LANCASTER.

AT 345 PM EDT ... CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS AND NORTHERN
PIEDMONT AND OVER NORTHWESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA.  A THUNDERSTORM WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER CENTRAL CHEROKEE COUNTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA HAD
DRIFTED SLOWLY TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST INTO EXTREME WESTERN YORK COUNTY.
THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS.

RADAR ALSO DETECTED A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER CENTRAL
GASTON COUNTY AND OVER SOUTHERN MECKLENBURG COUNTY ... BOTH IN NORTH
CAROLINA.

ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT BETWEEN
15 AND 20 MPH.  THIS MOVEMENT WILL BRING SHOWERS AND VERY HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF YORK COUNTY AND INTO CHESTER AND LANCASTER
COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE 5 PM.

THE THUNDERSTORM OVER GASTON COUNTY WILL MOVE INTO ACROSS THE CATAWBA
RIVER ... POSSIBLY GATHERING ADDITIONAL STRENGTH AS IT INVADES
WESTERN MECKLENBURG COUNTY AROUND 445 PM.

THE THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHERN MECKLENBURG COUNTY WILL MOVE INTO
WESTERN UNION COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA BETWEEN 430 AND 445 PM EDT.

SPOTTY SHOWERS WERE BEGINNING TO FORM ELSEWHERE IN THE UNSTABLE AIR
OVER THE PIEDMONT CAROLINAS.  THOUGH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS
IN EFFECT FOR THIS EVENING ... MANY AREAS WILL RECEIVE BENEFICIAL AND
MUCH NEEDED

AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED CUMULONIMBUS MAMMATUS OCCURRING
OVER ALEXANDER COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA JUST WEST OF BARRETTS
MOUNTAIN AT 315 PM EDT.

AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED NEAR BLOWING ROCK REPORTED PEA
SIZED HAIL ... GUSTY WINDS ... AND TORRENTIAL RAINS OCCURRING NEAR
LENOIR WITH A NEARLY IDENTICAL REPORT RECEIVED FROM BLOWING ROCK AT
330 PM EDT.

THE OFFICIAL IN CHARGE OF THE CHARLOTTE OFFICE REPORTED HAIL BETWEEN
1/4 AND 1/2 INCH ... GUSTY WINDS ... TORRENTIAL RAINS ... AND SOME
ROAD FLOODING AT BOONE BETWEEN 327 AND 330 PM EDT.

REMEMBER A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE SUCH
TO FAVOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  IF SEVERE WEATHER IS
DETECTED A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.  STAY TUNED TO RADIO OR CONTINUE
TO WATCH TELEVISION TO KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE JUST BEFORE 6 PM
EDT.

CLARK
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 3:53 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
SCZ001>004-012000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
355 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT...

AT 351 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS
MOVING ACROSS THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE OVRE NORTHEAST GREENVILLE AND NORTH SPARTANBURG COUNTIES. THESE
STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. PEA TO
MARBLE SIZE HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
VALVERDE
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 4:00 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
NCZ 007-009-010-011-012-013-012200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
400 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM...

AT 4 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
ENTERING GRAHAM AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THIS
CLUSTER PRODUCED LARGE HAIL IN EAST TENNESSEE. THEY WERE MOVING
SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BETWEEN 3 AND 4 THIS AFTERNOON SEVERAL REPORTS OF SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS CAME INTO THE ASHEVILLE OFFICE. THESE INCLUDED LENIOR IN CALDWELL
COUNTY..BOONE AND BLOWING ROCK IN WATAUGA COUNTY AND WEST JEFFERSON IN
ASHE COUNTY.

PERSONS ALL ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD STAY ALERT AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY UNTIL THE THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER HAS PASSED.

KEEP ABREAST OF THE LASTEST FORECASTS...STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WANINGS.
AS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 1, 3:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston41 min
Jul 1, 4:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg67 min
Jul 1, 4:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion59 min
Jul 1, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMontgomery55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.