Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Feb 10, 1990, 9:07 AM EST for Gaston County, North Carolina. It was in force for 38 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
- Feb 10, 1990, 9:07 AM EST (14:07 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 10, 1990, 9:45 AM EST
- In force
- 38 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Gaston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 9:20 AM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Gaston, 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 12:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 145 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
- 65 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 368 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 365 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 101406
TORCLT
NCC071-101445-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
907 AM EST SAT FEB 10 1990
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
...GASTON
AT 902 AM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER WESTERN GASTON
COUNTY ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF GASTONIA. THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM WAS
MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 65 MPH.
EVERYONE IN CATAWBA AND LINCOLN COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR
SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH 1000 THIS MORNING.
REMEMBER A TORANDO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS ENTIRE AREA THROUGH 1
PM THIS AFTERNOON.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.What 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, Feb 10, 6:09 AM EST, 2 hours 58 minutes before
SCZ001>004-101100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 605 AM EST SAT FEB 10 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR OCONEE...PICKENS...ANDERSON...GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG...AND ABBEVILLE COUNTIES OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 10 AM EST... ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA... AT 600 AM EST WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ANDERSON NORTHERN ABBEVILLE...AND NORTHERN LAURENS COUNTIES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AND NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL EXTENDED FROM NEAR ASHEVILLE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN OCONEE COUNTY OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND EXTENDED IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. ATLANTA HAS REPORTED WIND GUSTS TO 68 MPH AT 6 AM EST WITH THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS LINE. PEOPLE IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS THIS MORNING AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TV...OR LOCAL RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. ROBBINS/GSP
Special weather statement, Feb 10, 6:10 AM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
NCZ008-013 SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 945 PM EST FRI FEB 09 1990 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA... AT 945 PM EST THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN CHARLOTTE SHOWED WIDESPREAD LIGHT AND MODERATE RAINFALL...WITH PATCHES OF HEAVIER RAINFALL...THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA AND ACROSS PORTIONS OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS ACROSS UNION COUNTY OF NORTH CAROLINA...WHERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DUMPING HEAVY RAIN. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED UNTIL AT LEAST 1015 PM ACROSS UNION COUNTY...AS MORE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO THE COUNTY FROM UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. A CHECK WITH THE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER IN UNION COUNTY REVEALED MANY WEATHER RELATED AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS SO MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION ON THE WET AND SLIPPERY ROADS. IN ADDITION TO TRAFFIC PROBLEMS...THE HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE SOME STREET FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF UNION COUNTY...ESPECIALLY FROM MONROE TO MARSHVILLE. THIS WILL BE THE LAST STATEMENT UNLESS WEATHER CONDITIONS BECOME WORSE. JK
Special weather statement, Feb 10, 7:52 AM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
NCZ007-008-DDHHMM- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC 750 AM EST SAT FEB 10 1990 ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS... AT 746 AM EST WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN ALEXANDER COUNTYSOUTH TO NEAR HICKORY IN CATAWBA COUNTY. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE AMOVING INTO CATAWBA... CLEVELAND AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL WILL ACCOMPANIED THESE THUNDERSTORMS. CONTINUE TO MONITOR YOUR LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 9 AM OR SOONER. JPW
Special weather statement, Feb 10, 8:26 AM EST, 41 minutes before
NCZ 007-009-010-011-012-013 - 101700 - SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC 830 AM EST SAT FEB 10 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH VALID UNTIL NOON FOR MCDOWELL...POLK...BURKE...CALDWELL AND RUTHERFORD COUNTIES IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING W^EATHER CONDITIONS. BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF A TORNADO IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING ISSUED. AS
Local storm report, Feb 10, 8:28 AM EST, 39 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 826 AM EST SAT FEB 10 1990 THERE IS A PATTERN OF SIGNIFICANT HIGH WIND OR TORNADO DAMAGE ACROSS PARTS OF OCONEE...PICKENS...ANDERSON...AND GREENVILLE AREAS. SPOTTER AND LAW ENFORCEMENT INITIAL REPORTS INDICATE WORST HIT AREAS MAY BE ANDERSON COUNTY...EASLEY...AND EAST SIDE GREENVILLE. THE LAST REPORTED DAMAGE WAS IN EASTSIDE GREENVILLE ABOUT 816 AM. SPECIFIC DETAILS WILL BE GIVEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WAJ
Local storm report, Feb 10, 8:51 AM EST, 16 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC 848 AM EST SAT FEB 10 1990 COWPENS AREA SPARTANBURG COUNTY...TRAILER OVERTURNED WITH PERSONAL INJURIES ABOUT 840 AM. WAJ
The office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 8:46 AM EST | Tornado Warning | GSP | Cleveland | 29 min |
| Feb 10, 9:23 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Mecklenburg | 52 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.