Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 29, 1991Northampton County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 29, 1991, 5:07 PM EST for Northampton County, North Carolina. It was in force for 8 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Mar 29, 1991, 5:07 PM EST (22:07 UTC)
Expired: Mar 29, 1991, 5:15 PM EST
In force: 8 min
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Whole counties

County Northampton County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Cape Hatteras, NC (KHAT), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 213 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 754 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 582 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 163 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 202 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.8
Supercell composite: 3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 292208
TORRDU
NCC131-292245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
507 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...EASTERN NORTHHAMPTON COUNTY
 
A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED IN JACKSON AT 455 PM MOVING EAST AT 45 TO 50
MPH. THIS REPORT WAS RECEIV}ED FROM THE NORTHAMPTON COUNTY SHERIFF.
 
 
TORNADOES IN THE SOUTH ARE HARD TO SEE BECAUSE OF RAIN...LOW
CLOUDS...AND TREES. TAKE COVER NOW...DO NOT TRY TO WAIT ON THE
STORM AND DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN IT.

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, Mar 29, 2:36 PM EST, 2 hours 31 minutes before

NCZ003>005-014-292130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
234 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991

A BAND OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS HAS NOW TAKEN SHAPE
OVER THE CENTRAL PIEDMONT AND IS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 45 MILES AN
HOUR. WINDS HAVE GUSTED TO 60 MPH AS THE LINE OF STORMS PASSED
CHARLOTTE EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.

AT THE CURRENT RATE OF MOVEMENT...THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH
THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT AND SANDHILLS REGIONS OF THE STATE...INCLUDING
THE TRIANGLE FAYETTEVILLE AND SOUTHERN PINES AREAS...BY 4 PM.

THESE AREAS ARE UNDER A TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON.  THIS
IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.  STAY TUNED T*O
LOCAL RADIO...TV...OR WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL WATCHES OR
WARNINGS.

Special weather statement, Mar 29, 3:02 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

NCZ006-007-009-291930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
300 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 500 PM...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES ALL COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS
AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH
INCLUDES ALL COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...NORTHERN FOOTHILLS
AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLONA.

HEAVY RAINS CONTINUW ACROSS THE AREA...THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF PEA
SIZE HAIL IN THE GRAHAM AREA. CONTINUOUS VIVID LIGHTNING IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF ROWAN COUNTY AROUND KANNAPOLIS. WITH WIDESPREAD
RAINFALL COVERING MOST OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...MANY ROADS ACROSS THE
REGION EITHER HAVE PONDING ON THE ROADWAY...SMALL STREAMS THAT RUN
ALONGSIDE THE ROAD OVERFLOWING THERE BANKS...OR DRAINAGE DITCHES
OVERFLOWING. PERSONS TRAVELING THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD USE EXTREME
CAUTION AND COMMON SENSE. NEVER T\RY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM THATS
OVER A ROADWAY...OR TRY TO DRIVE THROUGH A FLOODED LOW SPOT OR
DIP IN THE ROAD.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS...FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND ANY POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

RJD

Local storm report, Mar 29, 4:05 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
405 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991

TIME           EVENT
330 - 350 PM   CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTS WIND DAMAGAE
EST            NEAR SILER CITY. MOBILE HOME BLOWN OVER AND TREES
               DAMAGED IN NORTHERN PART OF COUNTY

350 PM EST     AMATEUR RADIO REPORTS ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE IN HIGH FALLS
               IN NORTHERN MOORE COUNTY.

LGL

Local storm report, Mar 29, 4:15 PM EST, 52 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
414 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991

TIME           EVENT
405 PM EST     TREES AND LARGE LIMBS DOWN ON COLON ROAD JUST NORTH
               OF SANFORD IN LEE COUNTY REPORTED BY AMATEUR RADIO
               OPERATORS.

RFG

Local storm report, Mar 29, 4:47 PM EST, 20 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
444 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991

TIME           EVENT
430 PM EST     TORNADO REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC VIA THE SHERIFFS
               OFFICE IN NORTHAMPTONG COUNTY TOUCHED DOWN NEAR
               PLEASANT GROVE JUST OUTSIDE OF JACKSON.

422 PM EST     TORNADO REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC VIA THE SHERIFFS
               OFFICE IN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY TOUCHED DOWN NEAR
               PENDLETON.

RFG

Special weather statement, Mar 29, 4:50 PM EST, 17 minutes before

NCZ006-007-291930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
500 PM EST FRI MAR 29 1991

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUED THIS EVENING...

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT INCLUDED ALL COUNTIES IN THE NORTHERN
FOOTHILLS AND NORTHWEST PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA HAS BENN CANCELLED.
THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THAT CROSSED THE AREA HAS MOVED EAST AND
NO LONGER IS ANY THREAT. A FEW SHOWERS AND POSSIBBLE AN ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORM ARE EXPECTED LTHROUGH THE EVENING.

THIS IS THE LAST STATEMENT ON THIS STORM SITUATION.

SAS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 29, 3:06 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Chatham, Lee, Moore	54 min
Mar 29, 3:45 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RAH	Lee	30 min
Mar 29, 3:58 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RAH	Wake	32 min
Mar 29, 4:55 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RAH	Cumberland	35 min
Mar 29, 5:02 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Nash, Wilson	43 min
Mar 29, 5:02 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Wayne	43 min
Mar 29, 5:11 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Edgecombe	34 min
Mar 29, 5:28 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Wayne	32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1991 Every tornado warning in 1991 Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.