Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 111, NWS Raleigh, NC

August 20, 1997Granville County, Vance County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 20, 1997, 1:57 PM EDT for Granville County, Vance County, North Carolina. It was in force for 48 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 20, 1997, 1:57 PM EDT (17:57 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 1997, 2:45 PM EDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Granville County, NC, Vance County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 20, 2:05 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Oxford, NCSEVERAL TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED JUST EAST OF OXFORD NEAR THE VANCE COUNTY LINE.
Aug 20, 2:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60Henderson, NCTHE NCNB BANK SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. SEVERAL PLATE GLASS WINDOWS IN THE BUSINESS SECTION WERE BLOWN OUT. THE WIND GUSTED TO 73 MPH AT THE SCHOOL NETWORK SITE AT HENDERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL. NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED OFF.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 126 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 1997-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 484 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 12:00Z on 1997-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 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
484 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
525 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 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.

433 
WUUS1 KRDU 201759 RRA
SVRRDU
NCC077-181-201845-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
157 PM EDT WED AUG 20 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...GRANVILLE COUNTY...VANCE COUNTY
 
AT 155 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
GRANVILLE COUNTY NEAR OXFORD. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AROUND 35 MPH
AND WILL LIKELY AFFECT OXFORD AND HENDERSON DURING THE NEXT 45 MINUTES.
 
 
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.

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, Aug 20, 11:00 AM EDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-210000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1100 AM EDT WED AUG 20 1997

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
TODAY...

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

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...MAINLY EAST OF A RALEIGH TO
FAYETTEVILLE LINE.  THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING WINDS.
LIGHTNING IS A THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
TODAY...BRINGING WITH IT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  THE
SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOST NUMEROUS ALONG THE VIRGINIA
BORDER.  SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.  HOWEVER...THE
GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS EAST OF A RALEIGH TO
FAYETTEVILLE LINE...WHERE DAYTIME HEATING HAS MADE THE ATMOSPHERE
UNSTABLE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED AFTER 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE
WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

RAN
*********************************************************************

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, Aug 20, 11:03 AM EDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-210000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1100 AM EDT WED AUG 20 1997

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
TODAY...

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

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...MAINLY EAST OF A RALEIGH TO
FAYETTEVILLE LINE.  THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING WINDS.
LIGHTNING IS A THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
TODAY...BRINGING WITH IT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  THE
SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOST NUMEROUS ALONG THE VIRGINIA
BORDER.  SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.  HOWEVER...THE
GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS EAST OF A RALEIGH TO
FAYETTEVILLE LINE...WHERE DAYTIME HEATING HAS MADE THE ATMOSPHERE
UNSTABLE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED AFTER 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE
WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

RAN
*********************************************************************

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
Aug 20, 2:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWarren35 min
Aug 20, 3:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHFranklin34 min
Aug 20, 4:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham, Wake38 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1997Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.