Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Wilmington, NC

August 4, 1994Onslow County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at Aug 4, 1994, 2:33 PM EDT for Onslow County, North Carolina. It was in force for 42 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 4, 1994, 2:33 PM EDT (18:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 4, 1994, 3:15 PM EDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Onslow County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 47 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, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 1994-08-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2554 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, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 1994-08-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 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
2554 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
792 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KILM 041834
TORILM
NCC133-041915-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
233 PM EDT THU AUG 4 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...ONSLOW COUNTY
 
AT 230 PM EDT... RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 4 MILES NORTH OF RICHLANDS.
THIS TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. PEOPLE IN
RICHLANDS AND SURROUNDING AREAS SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
GO TO A BASEMENT...THE CENTER OF BUILDINGS...COVER YOUR HEAD. DO NOT
GO NEAR DOORS OR WINDOWS. GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. GET
INTO A STURDY BUILDINGd 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, Aug 4, 12:50 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
NCZ092-093-094-095-098-042000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1250 PM EDT THU AUG 4 1994

 THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING OVER THE CENTRAL COASTAL AREA OF EASTERN
NORTH CAROLINA. THE STORMS WERE FROM WEST OF JACKSONVILLE TO NEW BERN AND
ACROSS THE PAMLICO SOUND.  THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 20 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS CAN EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY
RAINFALL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL.

MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT...IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE
EVASIVE ACTIONS AND SEEK SAFE HARBOR.

MOTORISTS ARE ALSO REMINDED TO BE ALERT FOR PONDING WATER ON ROADWAYS.

CH
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 12:52 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
NCZ081-041800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
1252 PM EDT THU AUG 4 1994

AT 1230 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
HYDE COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINS. SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.

PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
AND TAKE THE NECSSARY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 12:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
NCZ081-041800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
1252 PM EDT THU AUG 4 1994

AT 1230 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
HYDE COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINS. SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.

PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
AND TAKE THE NECSSARY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 4, 1:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMCraven42 min
Aug 4, 1:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBeaufort48 min
Aug 4, 2:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMJones, Onslow58 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.