Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 29, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 11, 1995Franklin County, Granville County, Vance County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 11, 1995, 6:40 PM EDT for Franklin County, Granville County, Vance County, North Carolina. It was in force for 35 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 11, 1995, 6:40 PM EDT (22:40 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 1995, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, NC, Granville County, NC, Vance County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 132 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 1995-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 105 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 1995-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 54 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
105 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-159 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
841 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 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 KRDU 112244
SVRRDU
NCC069-077-181-112315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
640 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...FRANKLIN COUNTY...SOUTHERN GRANVILLE COUNTY
   ...SOUTHERN VANCE COUNTY
 
AT 640 PM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN GRANVILLE COUNTY AND WILL
MOVE INTO SOUTHERN VANCE AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES BY 645 PM. THE STORM IS
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT AND TORNADOS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
DANGEROUS STORM.
 
JWC
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED. IF YOU
ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM TAKE COVER NOW!  GO TO THE CENTER
AND LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOUSE, IN A SMALL ROOM, AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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 11, 4:35 PM EDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
NCZ036-057-112120-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
435 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL IREDELL COUNTY AND
NORTHWESTERN ROWAN COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 430 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM WESTERN IREDELL COUNTY ALONG THE CATAWBA COUNTY
LINE...EAST TO NEAR CLEVELAND IN NORTHWESTERN ROWAN COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 MPH
AND SHOULD MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL IREDELL COUNTY BY 445 PM...
EAST CENTRAL IREDELL COUNTY BY 500 PM...AND THROUGH NORTHERN
ROWAN AND SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTIES BY 515 PM.

IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN ANY OF THESE AREAS...INCLUDING THE
COMMUNITIES OF ELMWOOD...CLEVELAND OR COOLEEMEE...REMAIN
ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...CAPABLE
OF FLOODING LOW LYING ROADS AND OTHER AREAS OF POOR
DRAINAGE...AS WELL AS DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 40 MPH AND HAIL TH.ROUGH AT LEAST
515 PM. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR LOCATION...
SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AND REMAIN THERE UNTIL THUNDERSTORMS
PASS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

SR
Special weather statement, May 11, 4:36 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
NCZ036-037-057-112120-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
435 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL IREDELL COUNTY AND
NORTHWESTERN ROWAN COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 430 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM WESTERN IREDELL COUNTY ALONG THE CATAWBA COUNTY
LINE...EAST TO NEAR CLEVELAND IN NORTHWESTERN ROWAN COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 MPH
AND SHOULD MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL IREDELL COUNTY BY 445 PM...
EAST CENTRAL IREDELL COUNTY BY 500 PM...AND THROUGH NORTHERN
ROWAN AND SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTIES BY 515 PM.

IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN ANY OF THESE AREAS...INCLUDING THE
COMMUNITIES OF ELMWOOD...CLEVELAND OR COOLEEMEE...REMAIN
ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...CAPABLE
OF FLOODING LOW LYING ROADS AND OTHER AREAS OF POOR
DRAINAGE...AS WELL AS DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 40 MPH AND HAIL THROUGH AT LEAST
515 PM. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR LOCATION...
SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AND REMAIN THERE UNTIL THUNDERSTORMS
PASS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

...ADDED DAVIE COUNTY TO H4EADER...

SR
Special weather statement, May 11, 5:21 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
NCZ039-038-112215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
517 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

AT 512 PM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 MPH INTO DAVIDSON COUNTY FROM
ROWAN COUTY. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
LEXINGTON WITH ANOTHER STORM NEAR THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF DAVIDSON
COUNTY.

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF SMALL HAIL AND WIvLL LIKELY PRODUCE HEAVY
RAINS AND BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AS WELL AS LIGHTNING. STAY TUNED TO THE
LOCAL NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

JWC
Special weather statement, May 11, 6:00 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
NCZ037-057-112230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
600 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN AND NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY...
AND OVER SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 555 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM
WESTERN ROWAN COUNTY NORTHEAST THROUGH NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY
EXTREME SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY.

THESE THUNDEESTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 MPH
AND WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HAIL
ACROSS ROWAN COUNTY AND SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY UNTIL
AT LEAST 630 PM.

IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN ANY OF THESE AREAS...REMAIN ALERT FOR
THUNDERSTORMS...AND TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR LOCATION.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

SR
Special weather statement, May 11, 6:02 PM EDT, 38 minutes before
NCZ037-057-112230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
600 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN AND NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY...
AND OVER SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...

AT 555 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM
WESTERN ROWAN COUNTY NORTHEAST THROUGH NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY
EXTREME SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 MPH
AND WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HAIL
ACROSS ROWAN COUNTY AND SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY UNTIL
AT LEAST 630 PM.

IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN ANY OF THESE AREAS...REMAIN ALERT FOR
THUNDERSTORMS...AND TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR LOCATION.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

...CORRECTED TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS...

SR
Local storm report, May 11, 6:30 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
627 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

TIME           EVENT

618 PM EDT     TORNADO CONFIRMED BY DURHAM COUNTY 911 IN WILLARDSVILLE

622 PM EDT     SOUTHERN GRANVILLE COUNTY...PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL IN
               BUTNER.

KRC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 8:09 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHForsyth20 min
May 10, 8:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGuilford29 min
May 10, 10:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Granville36 min
May 10, 10:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHFranklin25 min
May 11, 5:23 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHDavidson37 min
May 11, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham33 min
May 11, 6:11 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHDurham, Granville34 min
May 11, 7:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston26 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.