Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 1, 1994Harnett County, Johnston County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at May 1, 1994, 7:34 PM EDT for Harnett County, Johnston County, North Carolina. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 1, 1994, 7:34 PM EDT (23:34 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 1994, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Harnett County, NC, Johnston County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 136 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 1994-05-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 298 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 1994-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 215 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
298 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
659 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
215 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
213 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 012336
TORRDU
NCC101-085-020000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
734 PM EDT SUN MAY 1 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...SOUTHERN JOHNSTON COUNTY
 
IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...SOUTHEASTERN HARNETT COUNTY
 
AT 730 PM EDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY HARNETT COUNTY SHERRIF'S
DEPARTMENT IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST HARNETT COUNTY SOUTHWEST OF DUNN. THE
TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE CROSSING INTO NORTHERN
SAMPSON COUNTY AND EXTREME SOUTHERN JOHNSTON COUNTY.
 
TORNADOES IN THE SOUTH ARE HARD TO SEE BECAUSE OF RAIN, HAZE, LOW
CLOUDS AND TREES. OFTEN YOUR ONLY WARNING MAY BE A LOUD ROARING
SOUND AND FLYING DEBRIS. BUT THAT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW!
WHEN SAFE TO DO SO, REPORT DAMAGES TO EMERGENCY OFFICIALS PROMPTLY.
 
 
 
&

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, May 1, 6:35 PM EDT, 59 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
634 PM EDT SUN MAY 01 1994

TIME           EVENT

630 PM EDT     HARNETT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...DIME SIZE HAIL IN
               PROGRESS IN LILLINGTON IN CENTRAL HARNETT...
               REPORTED BY SHERIFF`S OFFICE.

KK
Local storm report, May 1, 6:56 PM EDT, 38 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
656 PM EDT SUN MAY 01 1994

TIME           EVENT

640 PM EDT     HARNETT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...DIME SIZE HAIL
               JUST WEST OF LILLINGTON REPORTED BY SHERIFF`S OFFICE.
HLW

ED BY SHERIFF`S OFFICE.

KK

 IN PINETOPS.

KK
Local storm report, May 1, 6:58 PM EDT, 36 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
656 PM EDT SUN MAY 01 1994

TIME           EVENT

640 PM EDT     HARNETT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...DIME SIZE HAIL
               JUST WEST OF LILLINGTON REPORTED BY SHERIFF`S OFFICE.
HLW
Local storm report, May 1, 7:11 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
709 PM EDT SUN MAY 01 1994

TIME           EVENT

616 PM EDT     PITT COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...QUARTER SIZE HAIL FELL
               IN FALKLAND IN NORTHERN PITT...REPORTED BY SHERIFF`S
               OFFICE.

KK
Local storm report, May 1, 7:27 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
727 PM EDT SUN MAY 01 1994

TIME           EVENT

700 PM EDT     EDGECOMBE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...DIME SIZE HAIL
               REPORTED BY EDGECOMBE COUNTY NAWAS AT 7 PM.

JC

        OFFICE.

KK
Local storm report, May 1, 7:29 PM EDT, 5 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
727 PM EDT SUN MAY 01 1994

TIME           EVENT

700 PM EDT     EDGECOMBE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...DIME SIZE HAIL
               REPORTED BY EDGECOMBE COUNTY NAWAS AT 7 PM.

JC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 1:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston35 min
May 1, 2:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHScotland54 min
May 1, 5:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWilson38 min
May 1, 5:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston36 min
May 1, 5:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWayne46 min
May 1, 5:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHEdgecombe25 min
May 1, 6:07 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHEdgecombe23 min
May 1, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHarnett29 min
May 1, 6:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHEdgecombe35 min
May 1, 7:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston25 min
May 1, 7:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHPitt37 min
May 1, 7:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston29 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.