Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 41, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 16, 1994Cleveland County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 16, 1994, 6:20 PM EDT for Cleveland County, North Carolina. It was in force for 25 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 1994, 6:20 PM EDT (22:20 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 1994, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Cleveland County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 1994-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 37 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 1994-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 58 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
37 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
625 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
41 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 KCLT 162221
TORCLT
NCC045-162245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
620 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLOTTE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM EDT
FOR EVERYONE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...CLEVELAND COUNTY
 
AT 617 PM EDT SPOTTER REPORTS INDICATED A TORNADO WAS JUST SOUTH OF THE
CITY OF SHELBY IN SOUTHERN CLEVELAND COUNTY. THIS EXTREMLY DANGEROUS
STORM WILL MOVE NORTH TOWARD THE CITY OF SHELBY BEFORE 630 PM.
 
TORNADOES IN TROPICAL WEATHER SYSTEMS USUALLY DEVELOP QUICKLY...
MOVE RAPIDLY...AND CAN OCCUR REPEATEDLY FROM THE SAME BAND OF
THUNDERSTORMS. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED AREA AND ARE CLOSE TO A
THUNDERSTORM...TAKE COVER AND STAY THERE UNTIL IT PASSES.
 
GWC
 
&

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, Aug 16, 5:29 PM EDT, 51 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
530 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

TIME        EVENT

445 PM EDT  TORNADO NEAR PAULINE IN SPARTANBURG. DAMAGE TO HOME.
            REPORTED BY DEVPUTY SHERIFF.

515 PM EDT  POSSIBLE TORNADO WEST OF COWPENS NEAR PLEASANT VALLEY RD.
            SPARTANBURG EOC REPORT.

CAL
Local storm report, Aug 16, 5:40 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
540 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

TIME        EVENT

525 PM EDT  DAMAGE TO FRAME HOME AND MOBILE HOME OFF FOUNDATION.
            POWER LINES DOWN. ALL ON OLD PACOLET RD .SPARTANBURG EOC
            REPORT.

CAL

 RD.
            SPARTANBURG EOC REPORT.

CAL
Local storm report, Aug 16, 5:40 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
540 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

TIME        EVENT

525 PM EDT  DAMAGE TO FRAME HOME AND MOBILE HOME OFF FOUNDATION.
            POWER LINES DOWN. ALL ON OLD PACOLET RD .SPARTANBURG EOC
            REPORT.

CAL

 RD.
            SPARTANBURG EOC REPORT.

CAL
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 6:08 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
NCZ056-068>074-082>084-042100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
610 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

...A TORNADO WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 FOR GASTON COUNTY...

AT 600 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST NORTH OF
GASTONIA EXTENDING NORTH TO NEAR LINCOLNTON IN LINCOLN COUNTY. OTHER
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR CONCORD IN CABARRUS COUNTY. NUMEROUS
REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTH AT AROUND 20 MPH.

EVERYONE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS CAN EXPECT HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...GUSTY WIND AND SOME SMALL HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... AND LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO FOR
UPDATERS ON THE MOST RECENT WEATHER INFORMATION OR IF WARNINGS ARE
ISSUED.

JPW
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 6:12 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
NCZ056-068>074-082>084-162330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
612 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR MUCH OF THE
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT AND SECTIONS OF THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS OF NORTH
CAROLINA. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH
CAROLINA..CATAWBA...CLEVELAND...LINCOLN...GASTON...MECKLENBURG...
CABARRUS...UNION...ANSON...STANLY...MONTGOMERY...RICHMOND...IREDELL
AND ROWAN ALSO YORK COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR CHEROKEE...CHESTER AND LANCASTER COUNTIES
OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

...A TORNADO WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 FOR GASTON COUNTY...

AT 600 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST NORTH OF
GASTONIA EXTENDING NORTH TO NEAR LINCOLNTON IN LINCOLN COUNTY. OTHER
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR CONCORD IN CABARRUS COUNTY. NUMEROUS
REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTH AT AROUND 20 MPH.

EVERYONE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS CAN EXPECT HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...GUSTY WIND AND SOME SMALL HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... AND LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO FOR
UPDATES ON THE MOST RECENT WEATHER INFORMATION OR IF WARNINGS ARE
ISSUED.

JPW
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 6:13 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
NCZ056-068>074-082>084-162330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLOTTE NC
612 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR MUCH OF THE
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT AND SECTIONS OF THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS OF NORTH
CAROLINA. THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH
CAROLINA..CATAWBA...CLEVELAND...LINCOLN...GASTON...MECKLENBURG...
CABARRUS...UNION...ANSON...STANLY...MONTGOMERY...RICHMOND...IREDELL
AND ROWAN ALSO YORK COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR CHEROKEE...CHESTER AND LANCASTER COUNTIES
OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

...A TORNADO WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 FOR GASTON COUNTY...

AT 600 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST NORTH OF
GASTONIA EXTENDING NORTH TO NEAR LINCOLNTON IN LINCOLN COUNTY. OTHER
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR CONCORD IN CABARRUS COUNTY. NUMEROUS
REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTH AT AROUND 20 MPH.

EVERYONE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS CAN EXPECT HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...GUSTY WIND AND SOME SMALL HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... AND LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO FOR
UPDATzES ON THE MOST RECENT WEATHER INFORMATION OR IF WARNINGS ARE
ISSUED.

JPW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 4:47 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPUnion28 min
Aug 16, 5:42 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPGaston48 min
Aug 16, 6:45 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCleveland30 min
Aug 16, 7:00 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCatawba30 min
Aug 16, 7:35 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPRutherford25 min
Aug 16, 7:44 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCaldwell31 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.