Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 18, NWS Raleigh, NC

July 23, 1997Davidson County, Montgomery County, Stanly County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 23, 1997, 7:45 AM EDT for Davidson County, Montgomery County, Stanly County, North Carolina. It was in force for 105 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
Jul 23, 1997, 7:45 AM EDT (11:45 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 1997, 9:30 AM EDT
In force
105 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Davidson County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Stanly County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 11.8 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 00:00Z on 1997-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1635 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 00:00Z on 1997-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1635 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
988 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 231142
FFWRDU
NCC057-123-167-231330-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
745 AM EDT WED JUL 23 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...DAVIDSON COUNTY
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...STANLY COUNTY
 
AT 745 AM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATE MODERATE TO
LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
PIEDMONT. RAINFALL TOTALS IN STANLY AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES AND NEAR TO
SOUTHERN DAVIDSON COUNTY HAVE RECIEVED IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES OF RAIN IN
PLACES OVERNIGHT. THIS HAS LEAD TO WATER OVER BRIDGES AND STREETS. AS
PEOPLE COMMUTE TO WORK EXTRA CAUTION AND TIME ARE NEEDED TO TAKE
ALTERNATE ROUTES THIS MORNING.
 
DRIVERS ALONG SECONDARY, COUNTY, AND DIRT OR GRAVEL ROADS NEED TO
TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTION BECAUSE OF THE FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL.  IF
YOUR VEHICLE STALLS IN WATER, ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK
HIGHER GROUND.  CAMPERS NEAR STREAMS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE AND
SHOULD MOVE AWAY FROM LOW LYING AREAS NOW.
 
REMEMBER...75 PERCENT OF ALL FLOOD RELATED DEATHS RESULT FROM
PEOPLE DRIVING INTO FLOOD WATERS OR CHILDREN PLAYING NEAR FLOODED
CREEKS OR STORM DRAINS.  AVOID DRIVING THROUGH FLOOD WATERS EVEN IF
THEY APPEAR SHALLOW AND KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM FLOOD WATERS.
 
JWC

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Jul 23, 5:44 AM EDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-231800-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
545 AM EDT WED JUL 23 1997

(THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA APPLIES ONLY TO
THE COUNTIES LISTED AT THE END OF TEXT.)

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA TODAY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE
TO MOVE FROM THE WEST TO EAST BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MILES AN HOUR.  AS THE
MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS HIGH...LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL IS
POSSIBLE.  BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IN TERMS OF DAMAGING WIND
OR HAIL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LOW.

SPOTTER NETWORK ACTIVATION SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED...BUT ANY REPORTS OF
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CAN BE HELPFUL TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
INCLUDING FLOODING CONDITIONS OR FLASH FLOODING EVENTS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND UP-TO-DATE
WEATHER INFORMATION.

JWC
*********************************************************************

ALAMANCE          ANSON              CHATHAM            CUMBERLAND
DAVIDSON          DURHAM             EDGECOMBE          FORSYTH
FRANKLIN          GRANVILLE          GUILFORD           HALIFAX
HARNETT           HOKE               JOHNSTON           LEE
MONTGOMERY        MOORE              NASH               ORANGE
PERSON            RANDOLPH           RICHMOND           SAMPSON
SCOTLAND          STANLY             VANCE              WAKE
WARREN            WAYNE              WILSON
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 5:45 AM EDT, 2 hours before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-231800-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
545 AM EDT WED JUL 23 1997

(THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA APPLIES ONLY TO
THE COUNTIES LISTED AT THE END OF TEXT.)

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA TODAY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE
TO MOVE FROM THE WEST TO EAST BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MILES AN HOUR.  AS THE
MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS HIGH...LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL IS
POSSIBLE.  BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IN TERMS OF DAMAGING WIND
OR HAIL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LOW.

SPOTTER NETWORK ACTIVATION SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED...BUT ANY REPORTS OF
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CAN BE HELPFUL TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
INCLUDING FLOODING CONDITIONS OR FLASH FLOODING EVENTS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND UP-TO-DATE
WEATHER INFORMATION.

JWC
*********************************************************************

ALAMANCE          ANSON              CHATHAM            CUMBERLAND
DAVIDSON          DURHAM             EDGECOMBE          FORSYTH
FRANKLIN          GRANVILLE          GUILFORD           HALIFAX
HARNETT           HOKE               JOHNSTON           LEE
MONTGOMERY        MOORE              NASH               ORANGE
PERSON            RANDOLPH           RICHMOND           SAMPSON
SCOTLAND          STANLY             VANCE              WAKE
WARREN            WAYNE              WILSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 23, 12:33 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHStanly57 min
Jul 23, 1:33 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHStanly117 min
Jul 23, 2:22 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHHarnett, Moore2 hr
Jul 23, 2:36 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHLee2 hr
Jul 23, 3:21 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHDavidson, Montgomery, Randolph2 hr
Jul 23, 3:21 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHChatham2 hr
Jul 23, 3:35 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHStanly115 min
Jul 23, 4:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHHarnett, Lee, Moore118 min
Jul 23, 5:36 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHDavidson, Montgomery, Stanly2 hr
Jul 23, 6:44 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHMoore2 hr
Jul 23, 9:12 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHMontgomery, Moore, Randolph4 hr
Jul 23, 9:12 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHDavidson, Stanly4 hr
Jul 23, 9:20 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHStanly6 hr
Jul 23, 2:10 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHAnson, Stanly12 hr
Jul 23, 7:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHStanly4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in North Carolina, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.