Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 29, 1990Edgecombe County, Wilson County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 29, 1990, 5:26 PM EDT for Edgecombe County, Wilson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 49 min. 2 reports 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
Aug 29, 1990, 5:26 PM EDT (21:26 UTC)
Expired
Aug 29, 1990, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Edgecombe County, NC, Wilson 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
Aug 29, 5:32 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Edgecombe, NC
Aug 29, 5:40 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 0Wilson, 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, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 195 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 1990-08-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 436 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 1990-08-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 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
436 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-160 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1776 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
48 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 292128
SVRRDU
NCC065-195-292215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
526 PM EDT WED AUG 29 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...EDGECOMBE COUNTY...NORTHERN WILSON COUNTY
 
AT 525 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS IN EASTERN NASH COUNTY MOVING EAST 25 MPH.
 
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO NORTHERN WILSON COUNTY AND INTO
EDGECOMBE COUNTY.
 
STRONG WINDS JUST AHEAD OF THE THUNDERSTORM LINE HAVE DOWNED A FEW
TREES IN ELM CITIY IN EXTREME NORTHERN WILSON COUNTY AT 525 PM.
 
 
 
PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ALERT FOR LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN OCCUR
WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

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, Aug 29, 3:53 PM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
NCZALL-292020-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
352 PM EDT AUG 29 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 704 IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 10 PM EDT...

AT 350 PM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS THE
TRIANGLE AREA. THEY WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

WTVD IN DURHAM REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL OCCURRED IN CHAPEL HILL
AT 345 PM.

LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO..TV..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND
POSSIBLY WARNINGS.

LGL
Special weather statement, Aug 29, 4:06 PM EDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
NCZALL-292030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
405 PM EDT WED AUG 29 1990

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 704 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR
MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

AT 405 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM EXTREME NORTHERN WAKE COUNTY SOUTHWEST
ACROSS DURHAM COUNTY...SOUTHERN ORANGE COUNTY...AND CHATHAM COUNTY.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHERN DURHAM COUNTY AND OVER CHATHAM
COUNTY. AT 400 PM...MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS OCCURRING IN NORTHWEST CHATHAM
COUNTY NEAR SILER CITY.

BOATERS ON FALLS LAKE AND JORDAN LAKE SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL.
^
THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER WARREN COUNTY AT 405 PM.
^
LISTEN TO RADIO...TELEVISION...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLY WARNINGS.

LGL
Local storm report, Aug 29, 5:05 PM EDT, 21 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
502 PM EDT WED AUG 29 1990

TIME           EVENT

430-435 PM EDT PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL IN NORTHEAST RALEIGH...WAKE COUNTY.

448 PM (EDT     PEA SIZE HAIL IN ZEBULON...WAKE COUNTY.

JBP
Local storm report, Aug 29, 5:16 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
516 PM EDT WED AUG 29 1990

TIME           EVENT

510 PM EDT     A FEW TREES DOWN IN WESTERN NASH COUNTY IN THE TOWNS
               OF MIDDLESEX A;ND CASTALIA.

KK
Local storm report, Aug 29, 5:18 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
517 PM EDT WED AUG 29 1990

TIME           EVENT

515 PM EDT     PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN WARREN COUNTY.

KK
Local storm report, Aug 29, 5:19 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  GREENSBORO NC
520 PM EDT WED AUG 29 1990

ATTN SELS...

245 PM EDT..1845Z  GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHWEST ROCKINGHAM COUNTY.

300 PM EDT..1900Z  TREE DOWN ACROSSB ROADWAY IN SOUTHEAST GUILFORD COUNTY
     NOT FAR FROM DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED AT LAKE JUNO PARK.

RBN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 29, 4:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWake31 min
Aug 29, 4:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHNash32 min
Aug 29, 5:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax, Northampton40 min
Aug 29, 6:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHNorthampton31 min
Aug 29, 7:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston, Nash47 min
Aug 29, 7:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWilson50 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.