Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Raleigh, NC

April 2, 1990Franklin County, Vance County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Apr 2, 1990, 8:51 PM EDT for Franklin County, Vance County, North Carolina. It was in force for 39 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
Apr 2, 1990, 8:51 PM EDT (00:51 UTC)
Expired
Apr 2, 1990, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, NC, Vance 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
Apr 2, 9:00 PM EDTHail 1.75Vance, 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 140 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 1990-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 1990-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 106 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1514 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
157 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 030100 COR
TORRDU
NCC069-181-030130-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING  ... CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
851 PM EDT MON APR 2 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
          ...NORTHERN FRANKLIN...SOUTHERN VANCE

AT 849 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHERN
VANCE COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF KITTRELL NEAR THE FRANKLIN COUNTY LINE.
THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL PASS ACROSS SOUTHERN
VANCE COUNTY AND NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY.

THIS TORNADO WARNING UPDATES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
SOUTHERN VANCE COUNTY AND FRANKLIN COUNTY IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM.

PEOPLE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
ACTION TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES. GO TO A BASEMENT...THE CENTER OF
BUILDINGS...COVER YOUR HEAD. DO NOT GO NEAR DOORS OR WINDOW[S. GET
OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. GET INTO A STURDY BUILDING OR A
DITCH.

CORRECTION FOR LOCATION OF POSSIBLE TORNADO.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 2, 8:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHFranklin, Granville, Vance59 min
Apr 2, 8:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Orange59 min
Apr 2, 9:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham52 min
Apr 2, 9:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Orange51 min
Apr 2, 9:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWake51 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.