Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Wilmington, NC

May 1, 1990Robeson County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 1, 1990, 12:19 AM EDT for Robeson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 56 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 1, 1990, 12:19 AM EDT (04:19 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 1990, 1:15 AM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Robeson 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 1, 12:30 AM EDTHail 0.75Robeson, 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, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 1990-05-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 843 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 1990-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 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
843 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-76 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1021 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KILM 010421
SVRILM
NCC155-010515-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1219 AM EDT TUE MAY 1 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  115 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
          ...ROBESON
 
AT 1215 AM EDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR ROWLAND IN
WESTERN ROBESON COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30
MPH.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS CAN REACH SPEEDS OF 60 MPH TO OVER 100
MPH. THESE WINDS BLOW DOWN TREES...POWER LINES...AND SEVERELY
DAMAGE MOBILE HOMES...SOMETIMES BUILDINGS. VERY LARGE HAIL CYAN
INJURE ANYONE CAUGHT OUTSIDE.

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, Apr 30, 7:36 PM EDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
NCZ -016-010035-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
735 PM EDT MON APR 30 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

AT 725 PM...RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE NORTH-
SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER FROM JUST SOUTH OF TABOR CITY TO THE LITTLE
RIVER INLET. THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF
HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND SMALL HAIL. DIME SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED EARLIER
IN THE BETHEL COMMUNITY IN COLUMBUS COUNTY.

PERSONS ALONG THE NORTH-SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER IN COLUMBUS AND
BRUNSWICK COUNTY AND THE COASTAL WATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
THESE STORMS. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROCHES.

CH
ADD HEADLINE.
Special weather statement, Apr 30, 8:40 PM EDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
NCZ -016-010145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
840 PM EDT MON APR 30 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

AT 825 PM...RADAR SHOWED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE NORTH
SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER IN COLUMBUS AND BRUNSWICK COUNTIES AND THE
COASTAL WATERS OF BRUNSWICK COUNTY. THESE STORM MAY CONTAIN STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND SMALL HAIL. DIME SIZE HAIL
WAS REPORTED IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY AT SHALLOTTE POINT DURING THE PAST
HOUR.

PERSONS ALONG THE NORTH-SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER IN COLUMBUS AND
BRUNSWICK COUNTY AND THE COASTAL WATERS. SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
THESE STORMS. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROCHES.

CH
Special weather statement, Apr 30, 9:42 PM EDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
NCZ -016-010245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
945 PM EDT MON APR 30 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

AT 925 PM...RADAR SHOWED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE NORTH
SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER IN COLUMBUS AND BRUNSWICK COUNTIES AND THE
COASTAL WATERS OF BRUNSWICK COUNTY. THESE STORM MAY CONTAIN STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND POSSIBLE HAIL. QUARTER SIZE
HAIL WAS REPORTED AT THE OAK ISLAND COAST GUARD STATION AT 9 PM.

PERSONS ALONG THE NORTH-SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER IN COLUMBUS AND
BRUNSWICK COUNTY AND THE COASTAL WATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
THESE STORMS. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROCHES.

OTHER WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE CENTRAL COASTAL
AREA IN CRAVEN AND BEAUFORT COUNTIES MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE SOUTHERN AND NORTHEAST
PIEDMONT AREAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST NEAR 15 MPH.

CH
Local storm report, Apr 30, 10:39 PM EDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1033 PM EDT MON APR 30 1990

TIME        EVENT
1030 PM EDT  GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN LUMBERTON ROBESON COUNTY

1030 PM EDT  SOME TREES DOWN ON STATE ROAD 710 ROBESON COUNTY
             15  W LUMBERTON
Local storm report, Apr 30, 10:44 PM EDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
945 PM EDT MON APR 30 1990

TIME           EVENT
900 PM EDT     QUARTER SIZE HAIL OAK ISLAND COAST GUARD STATION
               BRUNSWICK COUNTY BEACHES...LASTED TWO MINUTES

CORRECTED PRODUCT CATEGORY
Local storm report, Apr 30, 11:31 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1129 PM EDT MON APR 30 1990

TIME        EVENT
1125 PM EDT  10 SE OF TABOR CITY IN COLUBMUS COUNTY...
             QUARTER-SIZE HAIL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 9:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMRobeson55 min
Apr 30, 10:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBladen, Robeson58 min
Apr 30, 11:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMColumbus55 min
Apr 30, 11:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBrunswick58 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.