Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 14, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1990, 8:14 PM EDT for Union County, North Carolina. It was in force for 46 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 21, 1990, 8:14 PM EDT (00:14 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 1990, 9:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Union 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 21, 8:25 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Union, 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, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 134 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- NaN m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 0 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 37 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KCLT 220017
TORCLT
NCC179-220100-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
814 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
...UNION
AT 815 PM EDT ... CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO OVER
EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN UNION COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA. THIS STORM WAS
MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AND THE TOWNS OF JACKSON AND TRINITY AT ABOUT
20 MPH.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHER(WISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
CLARKWhat 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, May 21, 4:44 PM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before
NCZ 07-09-010-011-012-013-212200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC 444 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990 ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS... AT 440 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED TWO HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA. ONE WAS NEAR TRYON IN POLK COUNTY AND ANOTHER NEAR RUTHERFORTON IN RUTHERFORD COUNTY. THE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESES STORM SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. GRC
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:17 PM EDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
SCZ001>004-212215- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC 515 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990 ...POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA THIS EVENING... THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE SOUTHEAST CONTINUES TO BE VERY UNSTABLE. AT 510 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN GEOGRIA...MOVING TO THE WEST AT 25 MPH. OVER NORTH CAROLINA THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING BETWEEN ASHEVILLE AND CHARLOTTE. THUNDERSTORM SHOULD BEGIN TO MOVE INTO THE UPSTATE AREA OF SOUTH CAROLINA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. PEOPLE IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA SHOULD LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARINGS. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA. VALVERDE
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
SCZ001>004-212230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC 543 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990 A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED IN NORTHWEST CHEROKEE COUNTY. THIS STORM DEVELOPED AS AN OUTGROWTH OF A STORM WHICH HAS PRODUCED SEVERE WEATHER IN SHELBY COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA. AT 538 PM THE CHEROKEE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORTED SMALL HAIL ALREADY FALLING NEAR COWPENS. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AND A WARNING COULD BECOME NECESSARY IN CHEROKEE COUNTY SHORTLY IF THE STORM BECOMES SEVERE. LISTEN FOR LATER INFORMATION. JONES
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:50 PM EDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
SCZ001>004-212230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC 543 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990 A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED IN NORTHWEST CHEROKEE COUNTY. THIS STORM DEVELOPED AS AN OUTGROWTH OF A STORM WHICH HAS PRODUCED SEVERE WEATHER NEAR SHELBY NORTH CAROLINA. AT 538 PM THE CHEROKEE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORTED SMALL HAIL ALREADY FALLING NEAR COWPENS. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AND A WARNING COULD BECOME NECESSARY IN CHEROKEE COUNTY SHORTLY IF THE STORM BECOMES SEVERE. LISTEN FOR LATER INFORMATION. JONES
Special weather statement, May 21, 7:18 PM EDT, 56 minutes before
NCZ 07-09-010-011-012-013-220100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC 718 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... AT 710 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..SOME HEAVY..WIDELY SCATTERED ACROSS THE REGION. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LAKE JAMES IN WESTERN BURKE COUNTY. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT AROUND 25 MPH. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY DOWNPOURS..DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL. PEOPLE ACROSS WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TONIGHT AND BE READ1Y TO TAKE ACTION FOR SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. COLE
Special weather statement, May 21, 7:35 PM EDT, 39 minutes before
NCZ007-NCZ008-220030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 730 PM EDT MON MAY 21 1990 AT 725 PM EDT ... CHARLOTTE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG THE BORDER BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA ... BUT MOSTLY IN YORK COUNTY OF THE PALMETTO STATE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD ALSO MOVED INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. THESE STORMS TOO WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WILL BRING THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLY ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WINDS ... SOME HAIL ... AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING INTO SOUTHERN UNION COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA BEFORE 8 PM EDT. SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED IN CONNECTION WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVED ACROSS YORK COUNTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. EVERYONE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBLE OCCURRENCE OF SEVERE WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WESTERN CAROLINAS ... BUT THEY MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY WINDS ... AND LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE PIEDMONT CAROLINAS LATER THIS EVENING. THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL RBE ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE AROUND 830 PM EDT. CLARK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 8:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Lincoln | 56 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.