Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 73, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 19, 1995Graham County, Swain County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 1995, 12:44 AM EDT for Graham County, Swain County, North Carolina. It was in force for 61 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 19, 1995, 12:44 AM EDT (04:44 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 1995, 1:45 AM EDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Graham County, NC, Swain County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:45 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 240 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1995-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1579 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1995-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 152 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1579 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1210 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
8.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAVL 190446
SVRAVL
NCC075-173-190545-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
1244 AM EDT FRI MAY 19 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ASHEVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  145 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...GRAHAM COUNTY...SWAIN COUNTY
 
AT 1243 AM EDT DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
INTO GRAHAM AND SWAIN COUNTIES.
 
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.
 
 
BLL

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, May 18, 7:26 PM EDT, 5 hours 18 minutes before
SCZ001>008-010>013-019-190200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
725 PM EST THU MAY 18 1995

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN THE UPSTATE...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING THIS EVENING FROM NORTHERN
ALABAMA TO CENTRAL TENNESSEE. THIS ACTIVITY WAS MOVING TO THE EAST
AT ABOUT 30 MPH. WARM MOIST AIR OVER THE CAROLINAS WILL PROVIDE A
FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...ESPECIALLY LATE
THIS EVENING. ANY ACTIVITY BEGINING LATE THIS EVENING WILL CONTINUE
INTO THE EARLY MORNING FRIDAY.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF
SEVERE WEATHER...AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD ANTICIPATE ACTIVITION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV...OR LOCAL RADIO FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS DEVLOPING SITUATION.
GAR/GSP
Special weather statement, May 18, 9:10 PM EDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
NCZ060-061-058-051-190145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
9:10 PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995

... TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TILL
MIDNIGHT...

    AT 9:05 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
EASTERN TENNESSEE AND NORTHERN GEORGIA. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS TO
THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE
NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF GRAHAM...CHEROKEE...SWAIN...AND CLAY
WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

    BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE.

    IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SPOTTED IN YOUR AREA... TAKE SHELTER
IMMEDIATELY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PA>SSED.

    STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL TV OR RADIO FOR THE
LATER STATMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
SM
Special weather statement, May 18, 9:18 PM EDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
NCZ060-061-058-051-190145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASHEVILLE NC
9:10 PM EDT THU MAY 18 1995

... TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TILL
MIDNIGHT...

    AT 9:05 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
EASTERN TENNESSEE AND NORTHERN GEORGIA. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS TO
THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE
NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF GRAHAM...CHEROKEE...SWAIN...AND CLAY
WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

    BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE.

    IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SPOTTED IN YOUR AREA... TAKE SHELTER
IMMEDIATELY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PAbSSED.

    STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL TV OR RADIO FOR THE
LATER STATMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
SM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 9:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCherokee63 min
May 18, 10:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCherokee, Clay67 min
May 18, 11:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPJackson68 min
May 18, 11:17 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPGraham43 min
May 18, 11:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSwain68 min
May 19, 12:09 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPHaywood, Madison66 min
May 19, 1:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGaston43 min
May 19, 2:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg31 min
May 19, 2:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus36 min
May 19, 3:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg37 min
May 19, 3:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion54 min
May 19, 4:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg40 min
May 19, 4:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion53 min
May 19, 5:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPMecklenburg37 min
May 19, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1995Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1995

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.