Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 32, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 12, 1995Edgecombe County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 12, 1995, 12:12 AM EDT for Edgecombe County, North Carolina. It was in force for 33 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 1995, 12:12 AM EDT (04:12 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1995, 12:45 AM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Edgecombe County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 142 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 00:00Z on 1995-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1695 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 00:00Z on 1995-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 89 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1695 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
986 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
117 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
4.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 120416
SVRRDU
NCC065-120445-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
1212 AM EDT FRI MAY 12 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...EDGECOMBE COUNTY
 
AT 1212 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IN THE VICINITY OF BATTLEBORO MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
 
PEOPLE SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY ALERT FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND.
FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CAN POSE A DANGER WITH ANY
THUNDERSTORM.  SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AND REPORT& DAMAGE TO
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
 
 
KRC

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, 9:31 PM EDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
NCZ036-037-057-120200-

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

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ROWAN AND DAVIE COUNTIES
UNTIL 1100 PM EDT ...

AT 927 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHERN
ROWAN COUNTY...ABOUT 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF CLEVELAND.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 MPH AND
WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY AND
SOUTHERN DAVIE COUNTY UNTIL ABOUT 950 PM.

MEANWHILE...ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED OVER
SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY...NEAR MOORESVILLE. THIS THUNDERSTORM
WAS ALSO MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL CROSS INTO
SOUTHWESTERN ROWAN COUNTY BY 940 PM.

IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN NORTHERN ROWAN COUNTY...SOUTHERN DAVIE
COUNTY...SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY OR SOUTHWESTERN ROWAN
COUNTY...EXPECT VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 35 MPH AND HAIL UNTIL AT LEAST
950 PM.

ALSO...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR DAVIE AND ROWAN
COUNTIES UNTIL 1100 PM...AND THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ANY
THUNDERSTORM TO PRODUCE TORNADOS IN THESE COUNTIES UNTIL
THAT TIME.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

SR
Special weather statement, May 11, 9:52 PM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
NCCALL-020300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
950 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

...PORTION OF TORNADO WATCH 537 CANCELLED..

THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER HAS CANCELLED A PORTION OF
TORNADO WATCH 357.  THE COUNTIES NO LONGER IN THE WATCH AREA ARE:

...DURHAM...ORANGE...GRANVILLE...FRANKLIN...VANCE...WARREN...HALIFAX
...NASH...EDGECOMBE...BERTIE...NORTHAMPTON...HERTFORD...GATES...
CHOWAN...PERQUIMANS...PASQUOTANK...CAMDEN...CURRITUCK...

THIS INCLUDES THE TOWNS AND CITIES OF:

...HILLSBOROUGH...DURHAM...ROCKY MOUNT...ELIZABETH CITY...

THE REST OF THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM.  THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES ARE STILL INCLUDED IN THE WATCH:

IN THE COASTAL AREA...

...BEAUFORT...DARE...HYDE...TYRRELL...WASHINGTON...CARTERET...ONSLOW...
PAMLICO...CRAVEN...JONES...

AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF ...DARE...HYDE...CARTERET...ONSLOW

IN THE COASTAL PLAINS...

...GREENE...LENOIR...MARTIN...PITT...WAYNE...CUMBERLAND...DUPLIN...
HARNETT...HOKE...LEE...MOORE...SAMPSON...SCOTLAND...RICHMOND...

IN THE PIEDMONT...

...CHATHAM...WAKE...RANDOLPH...ANSON...MONTGOMERY...STANLY...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE WEAKENED SINCE 900 PM BUT THOSE STILL IN THE
REMAINING PORTION OF THE WATCH AREA COULD PRODUCE HAIL...STRONG WINDS
AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.  RESIDENTS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE
TO MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE
EMERGENCY ACTION IF THREATENING APPROACHES OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

DELGADO
Special weather statement, May 11, 11:01 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
NCZ039-120400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
1057 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

AT 1055 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM OVER THE NORTHERN PORTION RANDOLPH COUNTY...JUST NORTH OF
ASHEBORO MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
FREQUENT DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY
DOWNPOURS AND WILL CONTINUE AFFECTING NORTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTY THROUGH
1120 PM.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. STAY
TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

KRC
Special weather statement, May 11, 11:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
NCZ037-057-120400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENSBORO NC
1105 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

...TORNADO WATCH FOR ROWAN AND DAVIE COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WAS 8IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA COUNTIES OF ROWAN AND DAVIE HAS EXPIRED.

THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED IN THESE COUNTIES.

SR
Special weather statement, May 11, 11:14 PM EDT, 58 minutes before
NCZALL-120415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
1110 PM EDT THU MAY 11 1995

AT 1100 PM THE TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS
EXPIRED. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN RALEIGH CONTINUES TO INDICATE
THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHEAST OF GREENSBORO AND FROM RALEIGH NORTHEAST TO
ROCKY MOUNT. THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY IS APPROACHING NEW BERN AND THE
OUTER BANKS.

NEARLY ALL THE ACTIVITY WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.
THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG A LINE EAST OF CHARLOTTE
TO GREENSBORO. THIS AREA OF POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
THE EAST THROUGH THE STATE TONIGHT.

JWC
Local storm report, May 12, 12:01 AM EDT, 11 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
1200 AM EDT FRI MAY 12 1995

CONFIRMED REPORTS FROM MAY 11 1995

TIME (EDT)   LOCATION/COUNTY              EVENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------

1729         NR SOUTHMONT/DAVIDSON        TORNADO SIGHTED BY SKYWARN
                                          SPOTTER

1739         LEXINGTON/DAVIDSON           TORNADO SIGHTED BY SKYWARN
                                          SPOTTERS

1818         WILLARDSVILLE/DURHAM         TORNADO CONFIRMED BY COUNTY
                                          911

1822         BUTNER/GRANVILLE             PING-PONG BALL SIZE HAIL
.
1853         HOLLY SPRING/WAKE            POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN

1915         3 W SMITHFIELD/JOHNSTON      60+ KTS WINDS INDICATED BY
                                          KRAX DOPPLER RADAR (ABOUT
                                          10 MI FROM RADAR)

1935         1 S SELMA/JOHNSTON           1 INCH HAIL

1939         SMITHFIELD/JOHNSTON          14 INCH DIA. TREES BLOW DOWN

1939         SMITHFIELD/JOHNSTON          SEVERAL TREES DOWN

1942         PRINCETON/JOHNSTON           1 INCH HAIL

2001         BRASSFIELD/GRANVILLE         POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN

2002         SEYMOR-JOHNSON AFB/          TORNADO 4 NE AFB SIGHTED BY
              WAYNE                       MILITARY PILOT

2026         ASHEBORO/RANDOLPH            TORNADO IN ASHEBORO...
                                          NUMEROUS PUBLIC REPORTS

2049         5 SE ASHEBORO/RANDOLPH       TORNADO CONFIRMED BY CHIEF
                                          OF EMERGENCY RESCUE SQUAD...
                                          ON GROUND ABOUT 1 MI.

DELGADO/COOK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 11, 8:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHRandolph27 min
May 11, 8:43 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHRandolph32 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.