Alert archive / North Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Raleigh, NC

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

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 23, 1997, 9:12 AM EDT for Davidson County, Stanly County, North Carolina. It was in force for 4 hr. 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, 9:12 AM EDT (13:12 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 1997, 1:00 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Davidson County, NC, Stanly County, NC

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 66 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 1997-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 456 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
456 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
594 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 231316
FFWRDU
NCC057-151-123-125-167-231700-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
912 AM EDT WED JUL 23 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS EXTENDED THE
FLASH FLOOD WARNING THROUGH 100 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN A LARGE PORTION OF
SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
   ...SOUTHERN DAVIDSON COUNTY...SOUTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTY
 
   ...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...NORTHERN MOORE COUNTY...STANLY COUNTY
 
THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN EXTENED THROUGH 100 PM EDT FOR A LARGE
PORTION OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL PIEDMONT. SIX TO EIGHT INCHES OF RAINFALL
HAS ALREADY OCCURRED OVER MUCH OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING.
ADDITIONAL RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FORM TO THE SOUTHWEST AND
MOVE OVER THE SAME AREA.
 
SEVERAL COUNTY ROADS HAVE BEEN INUNDATED IN THE FLASH FLOOD AREA.  SMALL
EARTHEN DAMS MAY ALSO BE UNDER PRESSURE BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL AND SHOULD BE MONITORED CLOSELY.
 
THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS BEEN CAUSED BY TROPICAL MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE
REMNANTS OF DANNY THAT HAS COLLIDED WITH THUNDERSTORMS FROM LAST NIGHT.
REMNANTS OF DANNY ARE STILL WELL TO THE SOUTHWEST AND COULD HELP CAUSE
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL OVER CENTRAL AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  STAY ALERT IF YOU ARE IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS NEAR STREAMS
AND CREEKS.  WATCH FOR RAPIDLY RISING WATER.  BE PREPARED TO ACT
QUICKLY AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED.
 
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.

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, 3 hours 28 minutes 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, 3 hours 27 minutes 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, 7:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHDavidson, Montgomery, Stanly105 min
Jul 23, 9:12 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHMontgomery, Moore, Randolph4 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.