Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Wilmington, NC
NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at Jul 16, 1991, 12:27 PM EDT for New Hanover County, North Carolina. It was in force for 33 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 16, 1991, 12:27 PM EDT (16:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 16, 1991, 1:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 33 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wilmington, NC
- Area
- Whole counties
County New Hanover County, NC
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 12:27 PM EDT | Tornado F0 | New Hanover, 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, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 244 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 469 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -82 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1043 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 117 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KILM 161637 RRA TORILM NCC129-161700- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 1227 PM EDT TUE JUL 16 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA ...NORTHERN NEW HANOVER COUNTY AT 1227 PM A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED OVER NORTHERN NRE HANOVER COUNTY NEAR THE KINGS GRANT SUBDIVISION..ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF THE NEW HANOVER COUNTY AIRPORT. PRECIPITATION IN THE AREA WAS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. PEOPLE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES. GO TO A BASEMENT...THEq CENTER OF BUILDINGS...COVER YOUR HEAD. DO NOT GO NEAR DOORS OR WINDOWS. GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. GET INTO A STURDY BUILDING OR A DITCH.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 16, 7:43 AM EDT, 4 hours 44 minutes before
NCZ016-161245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 740 AM EDT TUE JUL 16 1991 AT 725 AM THERE WERE CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM NEW HANOVER COUNTY EAST OVER THE ATLANTIC FOR ABOUT 75 MILES. SOME OF THE STORMS..MAINLY OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS..WERE ACCOMPANIED BY FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS. ALL MARINE INTERESTS BETWEEN CAPE FEAR AND CAPE LOOKOUT SHOULD BE READY FOR LOCALLY HIGH WINDS AND ROUGH SEA CONDITIONS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 KNOTS. THIS WAS PART OF A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. THE RAIN WAS HEAVIER OVER THE COASTAL AND OFFSHORE WATERS AND EXTENDED MORE THAN 125 MILES TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF CAPE FEAR.
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 8:36 AM EDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
NCZ016-161400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 835 AM EDT TUE JUL 16 1991 AT 825 AM...RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA FROM CAPE FEAR TO CAPE LOOKOUT AND OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS BEYOND 50 MILES FROM LAND. A THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO NOTED IN THE VICINITY OF NEW BERN. THESE STORM WILL BE ACOOMPANIED WITH HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. ALL MARINE IN6TERESTS BETWEEN CAPE FEAR AND CAPE LOOKOUT SHOULD BE READY FOR LOCALLY HIGH WINDS AND ROUGH SEA CONDITIONS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 KNOTS. CH
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wilmington, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 4:18 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | ILM | Carteret | 42 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991
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.