Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

March 27, 1994Macon County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1994, 8:43 PM EST for Macon County, North Carolina. It was in force for 47 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 1994, 8:43 PM EST (01:43 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1994, 9:30 PM EST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Macon County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 134 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1994-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 344 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, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1994-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 326 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
344 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1558 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
326 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
504 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
6.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAVL 280144
TORAVL
NCC113-280230-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
843 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ASHEVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...MACON COUNTY
 
AT 840 PM EST WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
NORTHERN GEORGIA NEAR BLAIRSVILLE MOVING NORTHEAST 50 MILES AN HOUR.
THIS TRACK WILL TAKE THE THUNDERSTORM INTO MACON COUNTY BY 855 PM THIS
EVENING.
 
TORNADOES WHICH OCCUR AFTER DARK ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. GET TO A
PLACE OF SAFETY NOW. STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS. GET OUT OF
MOBILE HOMES AbND CARS. IF DAMAGE OCCURS NEAR YOU...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
WALK AROUND IN THE DARK. THERE MAY BE DOWNED POWER LINES AND OTHER
HAZARDS THAT CANNOT BE SEEN.
 
R. JONES/AVL

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

Local storm report, Mar 27, 5:31 PM EST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
530 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

TIME            EVENT

525 PM EST      QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF
                RUTHERFORD COUNVTY.  TREES AND POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN
                IN THE SAME AREA.  REPORTED BY SKYWARN SPOTTER.

EJC
Local storm report, Mar 27, 5:59 PM EST, 2 hours 44 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
557 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

OTHER REPORTS...

438 PM QUARTER HAIL HIGHWAY 11 AND 14 NORTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY.
415 PM DIME HAIL 5 N OF PICKENS.
445 PM POSSIBLE TORNADO OAK GROVE AREA NORTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY
NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES.
455 PM TORNADO MAYBE TWO ARROWOOD CHURCH AREA NORTHERN SPARTANBURG
COUNTY.
510 PM DIME HAIL SUGAR CREEK 3 WEST GSP.
517 PM 1 INCH HAIL GREER
519 PM DIME TO NICKEL HAIL 2 N GREER
515 PM TORNADO HIGHWAY 221 AREA NORTHWEST CHEROKEE COUNTY.  ANOTHER
TOUCHDOWN A BIT EARLIER NEAR CHESNEE
535 PM VEHICLES BLOWN OFF ROAD EXIT 70 HIGHWAY I-26.
545 PM 3 FOOT OAK AND OTHER DAMAGE COWPENS AREA SPARTANBURG COUNTY.
505 PM SEVERAL REPORTS WIND DAMAGE IN AND AROUND CITY OF GREENVILLE.

W. JONES/GSP
Local storm report, Mar 27, 6:45 PM EST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
557 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

OTHER REPORTS...

555 PM  PROBABLE TORNADO GAFFNEY TO BLACKSBURG...NUMEROUS TREES AND
POWER LINES DOWN...SOME hLARGE TREES...ONE PERSON TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL
WHEN TREE FELL ON CAR.  MANY SIGHTINGS OF FUNNEL AND ROTATION LOW TO
GROUND.

W. JONES/GSP
Local storm report, Mar 27, 6:52 PM EST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
650 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

645 PM      MECKLENBURG COUNTY POLICE REPORTED A TORNADO
            TOUCHDOWN IN CENTRAL PORTION OF CHARLOTTE. HEAVY
            STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES.

JS
Local storm report, Mar 27, 7:34 PM EST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
732 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

TIME            EVENT

712 PM EST      DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN TULULA IN SOUTHEASTERN
                GRAHAM COUNTY.  REPO>RTED BY SKYWARN SPOTTER.

EJC
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 8:02 PM EST, 41 minutes before
SCZ001-002-003-004-005-006-007-008-010-011-012-013-019-260230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
800 PM EST SUN MAR 27 1994

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL UPSTATE COUNTIES UNTIL 200AM...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 400AM...

THE TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT SUNDAY AFTERNOON HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL
200AM MONDAY MORNING FOR ALL COUNTIES IN THE UPSTATE. AN AREA OF SHOWERS
AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN GEORGIA THIS
EVENING AND ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 50 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAUSING
DAMAGE THROUGH NORTHERN GEORGIA AND SHOULD BE MOVING INTO THE UPSTATE
SOMETIME AROUND 900 PM.

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH A POTENTIAL FOR LARGE TORNADOES.
THE SEVERE WEATHER AND FLASH FLOOD THREAT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE
NIGHT. UPSTATE RESIDENTS SHOULD KEEP CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER AND
BE PREPARED TO TAKE NECESSARY ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOjR YOUR
AREA.

LEFKOF/GSP

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 7:05 PM ESTTornado WarningGSPCherokee, Graham25 min
Mar 27, 7:10 PM ESTTornado WarningGSPCatawba50 min
Mar 27, 7:18 PM ESTTornado WarningGSPCleveland57 min
Mar 27, 7:24 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMacon, Swain51 min
Mar 27, 8:58 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPBuncombe, Madison47 min
Mar 27, 9:01 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAvery, Mitchell44 min
Mar 27, 9:16 PM ESTTornado WarningGSPJackson44 min
Mar 27, 9:35 PM ESTTornado WarningGSPTransylvania40 min
Mar 28, 1:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPCherokee, Clay, Macon3 hr
Mar 28, 1:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe, Haywood, Madison, Yancey3 hr
Mar 28, 1:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery, Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell, Watauga3 hr
Mar 28, 1:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPAshe3 hr
Mar 28, 1:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPHenderson, Transylvania3 hr
Mar 28, 1:45 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPGraham, Jackson, Swain3 hr
Mar 28, 3:27 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCaldwell33 min
Mar 28, 5:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery, Burke, Caldwell3 hr
Mar 28, 5:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPBuncombe, Henderson, McDowell, Madison, Yancey3 hr
Mar 28, 5:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPMitchell3 hr
Mar 28, 5:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPCherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon3 hr
Mar 28, 5:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPAshe, Watauga3 hr
Mar 28, 5:00 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningGSPHaywood, Jackson, Swain, Transylvania3 hr
Mar 28, 6:58 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus, Mecklenburg47 min
Mar 28, 7:26 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.