Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Raleigh, NC

October 5, 1995Orange County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Oct 5, 1995, 8:51 AM EDT for Orange County, North Carolina. It was in force for 39 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 5, 1995, 8:51 AM EDT (12:51 UTC)
Expired
Oct 5, 1995, 9:30 AM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Orange County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:54 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 1995-10-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 896 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 1995-10-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 375 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
896 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
528 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
375 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
381 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
11.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 051252
TORRDU
NCC135-051330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
851 AM EDT THU OCT 5 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...ORANGE COUNTY
 
AT 850 AM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A TORNADO MOVING INTO SOUTHERN ORANGE
COUNTY ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF CHAPEL HILL. TREE DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN
REPORTED FROM THIS STORM. IT WAS MOVING NORTH AT 40 MPH.
 
 
TORNADOES FROM HURRICANES OR TROPICAL STORMS USUALLY FORM QUICKLY,
MOVE RAPIDLY, AND CAN OCCUR REPEATEDLY FROM THE SAME BAND OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS.  IF THIS WARNING AFFECTS YOUR AREA AND YOU HEAR
ROARING THUNDER...TAKE COVER UNTIL IT PASSES.  REPORT DAMAGE TO
EMERGENCY OFFICIALS FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

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, Oct 5, 6:58 AM EDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
NCZ075-076-077-085-086-088-022-039-074-084-021-038-051300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
658 AM EDT THU OCT 5 1995

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN AND WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA TIL NOON...

AT 655 AM...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR GREENSBORO THROUGH LAURINBURG TO MYRTLE BEACH.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 45 MPH AND WERE POTENTIALLY SEVERE WITH
POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS AND EVEN SMALL TORNADOES.

PERSONS IN SCOTLAND...RICHMOND...MOORE...MONTGOMERY...HOKE AND RANDOLPH
COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND
TAKE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JBM
Special weather statement, Oct 5, 6:59 AM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
NCZ075-076-077-085-086-088-022-039-074-084-021-038-051300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
658 AM EDT THU OCT 5 1995

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN AND WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA TIL NOON...

AT 655 AM...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR GREENSBORO THROUGH LAURINBURG TO MYRTLE BEACH.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 45 MPH AND WERE POTENTIALLY SEVERE WITH
POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS AND EVEN SMALL TORNADOES.

PERSONS IN SCOTLAND...RICHMOND...MOORE...MONTGOMERY...HOKE AND RANDOLPH
COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND
TAKE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JBM
Special weather statement, Oct 5, 7:58 AM EDT, 53 minutes before
NCZALL-051300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
758 AM EDT THU OCT 5 1995

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT
UNTIL 1200 PM AND FOR THE EASTERN PIEDMONT UNTIL 200 PM...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA TODAY...

AT 800 AM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF HEAVY RAIN AND SCATTERED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM VIRGINIA NEAR DANVILLE SOUTH ACROSS DURHAM
AND FAYETTEVILLE INTO SOUTH CAROLINA. STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED
SOUTH OF FAYETTEVILLE AND WERE MOVING NORTH AT 40 MPH.

RAINFALL RANGING BETWEEN 4 AND 8 INCHES HAVE FALLEN OVER THE AREA DURING
THE PAST 24 HOURS AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING THIS
MORNING AS WELL AS AGGRAVATING ANY PRE-EXISTING FLOODING. COMMUTERS ARE
ADVISE TO BE ALERT FOR STANDING WATER AND FLOODING STREAMS THIS MORNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNING. REPORT ANY DAMAGE OR FLOODING PROMPTLY
TO LOCAL OFFICIALS FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

MLM
Special weather statement, Oct 5, 7:59 AM EDT, 52 minutes before
NCZALL-051300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
758 AM EDT THU OCT 5 1995

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT
UNTIL 1200 PM AND FOR THE EASTERN PIEDMONT UNTIL 200 PM...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA TODAY...

AT 800 AM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF HEAVY RAIN AND SCATTERED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM VIRGINIA NEAR DANVILLE SOUTH ACROSS DURHAM
AND FAYETTEVILLE INTO SOUTH CAROLINA. STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED
SOUTH OF FAYETTEVILLE AND WERE MOVING NORTH AT 40 MPH.

RAINFALL RANGING BETWEEN 4 AND 8 INCHES HAVE FALLEN OVER THE AREA DURING
THE PAST 24 HOURS AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING THIS
MORNING AS WELL AS AGGRAVATING ANY PRE-EXISTING FLOODING. COMMUTERS ARE
ADVISE TO BE ALERT FOR STANDING WATER AND FLOODING STREAMS THIS MORNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNING. REPORT ANY DAMAGE OR FLOODING PROMPTLY
TO LOCAL OFFICIALS FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

MLM
Local storm report, Oct 5, 8:42 AM EDT, 9 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
842 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

TIME       .....CITY LOCATION.....   STATE    EVENT/REMARKS
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....
 840AM      PITTSBORO                NC        TREES DOWN ON POWER
            CHATHAM COUNTY                     LINES IN N PITTSBORO
Local storm report, Oct 5, 8:43 AM EDT, 8 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
842 AM EDT THU OCT 05 1995

TIME       .....CITY LOCATION.....   STATE    EVENT/REMARKS
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....
 840AM      PITTSBORO                NC        TREES DOWN ON POWER
            CHATHAM COUNTY                     LINES IN N PITTSBORO

                                         ~

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 5, 6:05 AM EDTTornado WarningRAHAnson25 min
Oct 5, 8:37 AM EDTTornado WarningRAHChatham38 min
Oct 5, 9:51 AM EDTTornado WarningRAHJohnston, Wayne39 min
Oct 5, 5:20 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHChatham, Harnett, Wake25 min
Oct 5, 5:49 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHWake26 min
Oct 5, 6:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston, Wake42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes 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.