Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 30, NWS Wilmington, NC

July 1, 1990Bladen County, Columbus County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 1, 1990, 7:05 PM EDT for Bladen County, Columbus County, North Carolina. It was in force for 55 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
Jul 1, 1990, 7:05 PM EDT (23:05 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 1990, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bladen County, NC, Columbus 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
Jul 1, 7:15 PM EDTTornado F2Bladen, 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

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 214 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1990-07-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1186 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1990-07-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 45 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1186 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1601 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
19 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 KILM 012305
SVRILM
NCC017-047-020000-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
      BLADEN...COLUMBUS

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING IN BLADEN AND COLUMBUS COUNTIES
THE STORMS WERE EAST AND SOUTH OF ELIZABETHTOWN AND NORTH OF
CHADBOURN.

POWER LINES AND TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN NEAR EVERGREEN IN
COLUMBUS COUNTY.
THE STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEST AROUND 35 MPH.

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND NEAR WINDOWS.  DO NOT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

 BJ

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, 3:54 PM EDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before
NCZ001-002-003-012046-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
345 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

AT 330 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY IN VIRGINIA AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTY IN NORTH
CAROLINA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY AND MAY
APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS AS THEY MOVE INTO NORTHERN HERTFORD AND GATES
COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY HAIL FROM THIS
STORM. HEAVY RAINS WILL ALSO BE A PROBLEM...POTENTIALLY
CREATING LOCALIZED FLOODING CONDITIONS.

FT
Local storm report, Jul 1, 5:01 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
500 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

 TIME            EVENT
1630 EDT        GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL       REPORTED BY WEATHER SPOTTERS
                                           NEAR THE TOWN OF SUNBURY AND
                                           WHITE OAK AREA OF GATES
                                           COUNTY

1645 EDT         GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL       REPORTED BY THE HERTFORD
               '                            COUNTY SHERIFF

LEIN
Local storm report, Jul 1, 6:30 PM EDT, 35 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
 627 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

 TIME        EVENT
617 PM EDT   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED NEAR DUNN IN SAMPSON
             COUNTY...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND EXTENSIVE FLOODING.
             REPORTED BY THE SHERIFFS OFFICE.

MAC
Local storm report, Jul 1, 6:35 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
635 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

 TIME            EVENT
1750 EDT    DIME AND NICKEL SIZE HAIL     REPORTED BY WEATHER SPOTTERS

1802 EDT    TORNADO                       WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN.  TREES
                                          DOWN

LEIN
Local storm report, Jul 1, 6:54 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
 627 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

 TIME        EVENT
617 PM EDT   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED NEAR GODWIN IN SAMPSON
             COUNTY...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND EXTENSIVE FLOODING.
             REPORTED BY THE SHERIFFS OFFICE.

MAC

CORRECTED FOR TOWN...GODWIN INSTEAD OF DUNN
Local storm report, Jul 1, 6:58 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
635 PM EDT SUN JUL 01 1990

 TIME            EVENT
1750 EDT    DIME AND NICKEL SIZE HAIL     REPORTED BY WEATHER SPOTTERS

1802 EDT    TORNADO                       GATES COUNTY. WEATHER SPOTTER
                                          REPORTED TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN
                                          NEAR STATE ROAD 1116.  TREES
                                          DOWN
...CORRECTION FOR LOCATION OF TORNADO

LEIN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 1, 6:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMSampson66 min
Jul 1, 6:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMDuplin, Pender56 min
Jul 1, 7:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBrunswick62 min
Jul 1, 7:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMOnslow62 min
Jul 1, 7:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMNew Hanover67 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.