Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 23, NWS Raleigh, NC
NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Nov 8, 1996, 7:25 AM EST for Sampson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 35 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 8, 1996, 7:25 AM EST (12:25 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 8, 1996, 8:00 AM EST
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Raleigh, NC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Sampson County, NC
The nearest sounding before it
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 138 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1028 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 672 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 163 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 173 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 5.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KRDU 081230 RRA TORRDU NCC163-081300- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC 725 AM EST FRI NOV 8 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA ...SAMPSON COUNTY AT 725 AM...DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER GARLAND NEAR THE SAMPSON BLADEN COUNTY BORDER...LIKELY PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS STORM HAS BEEN MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT CENTRAL PORTIONS OF SAMPSON COUNTY INCLUDING CLINTON BEFORE 8 AM. 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
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 4:29 AM EST, 2 hours 56 minutes before
NCZ018-033-034-049-050-053>055-064>067-081100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 425 AM EST FRI NOV 8 1996 ...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR MOUNTAINS AND PORTION OF FOOTHILLS... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1126 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: TRANSYVANIA HENDERSON POLK RUTHERFORD BUNCOMBE MCDOWELL BURKE CALDWELL YANCEY MITCHELL AVERY WATAUGA THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED OVER THESE COUNTIES... THOUGH SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA UNTIL AROUND SUNRISE. THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM FOR AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM WILKESBORO THROUGH HICKORY TO SHELBY...OVER TO GREENSBORO... LEXINGTON..ALBEMARLE AND MONROE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS. JBM
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 6:10 AM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
NCZ019>022-035>038-056-057-068>073-082-081200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 610 AM EST FRI NOV 8 1996 ...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1126 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR ANY NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES. THOSE COUNTIES THAT HAVE MOST RECENTLY BEEN DROPPED INCLUDE: ...WILKES...YADKIN...FORSYTH...GUILFORD...ALEXANDER...IREDELL... DAVIE...DAVIDSON...CATAWBA...ROWAN...CLEVELAND...LINCOLN...GASTON... MECKLENBURG...CABARRUS...STANLY...UNION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE WESTERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO FORMATION. NONETHELESS...RESIDENTS SHOULD STILL KEEP ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER WHILE THE THUNDERSTORMS PERSIST. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS. DELGADO
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 6:13 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
NCZ019>022-035>038-056-057-068>073-082-081200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 610 AM EST FRI NOV 8 1996 ...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1126 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR ANY NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES. THOSE COUNTIES THAT HAVE MOST RECENTLY BEEN DROPPED INCLUDE: ...WILKES...YADKIN...FORSYTH...GUILFORD...ALEXANDER...IREDELL... DAVIE...DAVIDSON...CATAWBA...ROWAN...CLEVELAND...LINCOLN...GASTON... MECKLENBURG...CABARRUS...STANLY...UNION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE WESTERN PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO FORMATION. NONETHELESS...RESIDENTS SHOULD STILL KEEP ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER WHILE THE THUNDERSTORMS PERSIST. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS. DELGADO
The office that day
Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 1:38 PM EST | Tornado Warning | RAH | Warren | 37 min |
| Nov 8, 2:34 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Johnston, Wake | 41 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996
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.