Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 9, 19904 counties in North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this flash flood warning at Aug 9, 1990, 12:00 PM EDT for 4 counties in North Carolina. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 9, 1990, 12:00 PM EDT (16:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 1990, 5:00 PM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Nash County, NC, Wake 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 1990-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 102 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 12:00Z on 1990-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 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
102 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
644 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
75 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 KRDU 091603
FFWRDU
NCC101-127-183-069-092100-

BULLETIN
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
NOON EDT THU AUG 9 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD
WARNING FOR JOHNSTON...WAKE...NASH...AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES IN NORTH
CAROLINA. THE FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EDT.

SOME AREAS IN THESE COUNTIES HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED AS MUCH AS 3 TO 6
INCHES OF RAIN. WEATHER RADAR INDICATES MORE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS ALREADY
BEGUN TO MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE OFF AND ON
THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON.

FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED BY THE WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPART-
MENT NEAR ZEBULON IN EASTERN WAKE COUNTY. MORPHUS BRIDGE ROAD WHICH
IS STATE ROAD 2349 IS UNDER WATER AT THE CREEK BRIDGE AT THIS TIME.
MORPHUS BRIDGE ROAD CONNECTS ZEBULON WITH WENDELL, NC. AUTHORITIES
WILL LIKELY BE BARACADING THE ROAD IN THE VICINITY OF THE BRIDGE.

RESIDENTS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HIGH
WATER PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM POOR URBAN DRAINAGE. ALSO...
MANY SMALL STREAMS WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD INTO LOW LYING AREAS.

THOSE IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS THROUGHOUT
THE AFTERNOON AND TAKE ANY NECESSARY ACTIONS TO AVOID PROPERTY
DAMAGE OR RISK TO PERSONAL INJURY.

THIS PERIOD OF WET WEATHER WILL CONTINUE OVER OUR REGION THROUGH
FRIDAY. FLOOD WATCHES AND ADDITIONAL FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE NECESSARY
IN OTHER PARTS OF NORTH CAROLINA LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT.

STAY ,TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Aug 9, 6:55 AM EDT, 5 hours 5 minutes before
NCZ003-004-005-091200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
655 AM EDT THU AUG 9 1990

AT 650 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED WIDESPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE
NORTHEAST PIEDMONT AND OVER WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE NORTHERN COASTAL
PLAIN. HEAVIEST RAIN WAS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY AND WESTERN NASH COUNTY.

NO PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THE RAIN THAT HAS FALLEN SINCE
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME LOCALLY VERY HEAVY AMOUNTS.
A COOPERATIVE OBSERVER AT ZEBULON REPORTED 5.60 INCHES. ONLY A TENTH
OF AN INCH HAS FALLEN AT RALEIGH-DURHAM INTERNATIONAL.

SOME MINOR FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS OR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS
IS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING AS THE RAIN CONTINUSES.

JBP
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 7:43 AM EDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
NCZ003-004-005-091300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
740 AM EDT THU AUG 9 1990

AT 735 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED WIDESPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE
NORTHEAST PIEDMONT AND WESTERN COASTAL PLAIN OF NORTH CAROLINA.
HEAVIEST RAIN WAS IN JOHNSTON COUNTY. THE RAIN WAS MOVING NORTH
AT 20 MPH. THIS MOVEMENT WILL TAKE THE HEAVIER RAIN ACROSS EASTERN
WAKE COUNTY INTO FRANKLIN COUNTY AND WESTERN NASH COUNTY. THESE
AREAS HAVE ALREADY HAD LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. SOME MINOR FLOODING
OF LOW-LYING AREAS AND PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS IS POSSIBLE.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO...TELEVISION OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION.

JBP
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 9:28 AM EDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
NCZ003-004-005-091500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
930 AM EDT THU AUG 9 1990

AT 925 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED WIDESPREAD RAIN IN THE AREAS
OF WAKE...JOHNSTON...FRANKLIN...AND NASH COUNTIES OF THE NORTHEAST
PIEDMONT AND NORTH CENTRAL COASTAL PLAIN.  THESE AREAS HAVE HAD
ABUNDANT RAINFALL OVERNIGHT AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE
FLOODING OF STREAMS AND CREEKS IN THE AREA IN ADDITION TO HIGHWAY
AND URBAN DRAINAGE PROBLEMS.

THIS SITUATION IS BEING ASSESSED AT THE PRESENT TIME AND FLOOD WATCHS
OR WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA LATER TODAY.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO...TELEVISION OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LAATER
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

RFG
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 10:56 AM EDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
NCZ003-004-005-014-091630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
1100 AM EDT THU AUG 9 1990

AT 1100 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAIN OVER THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT, THE SANDHILLS, AND PORTIONS OF THE
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL COASTAL PLAIN.

IN THE COUNTIES OF  WAKE...JOHNSTON...FRANKLIN...AND NASH THERE
CONTINUES TO BE SCATTERED POCKETS OF HEAVY RAIN. THESE COUNTIES HAVE
HAD ABUNDANT RAINFALL OVERNIGHT AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE
FLOODING OF STREAMS AND CREEKS IN ADDITION TO HIGHWAY AND URBAN DRAINAGE
PROBLEMS. EARLIER THIS MORNING THERE WERE TWO SEPARATE CAR ACCIDENTS
NEAR THE TOOWN OF CLAYTON AS MOTORTISTS ENCOUNTERED PONDING OF WATER ON
THE ROADWAYS.

THE RAINFALL SITUATION IS BEING ASSESSED AT THE PRESENT TIME AND FLOOD WATCHS
OR WARNINGS COULD BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
THIS AFTERNOON.
^
STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TV FOR ADDITIONAL
WEATHER UPDATES.

KK

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1990Every flash flood 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.