Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Raleigh, NC
NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 1997, 10:31 AM EDT for Edgecombe County, North Carolina. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report 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
- May 3, 1997, 10:31 AM EDT (14:31 UTC)
- Expired
- May 3, 1997, 11:00 AM EDT
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Raleigh, NC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Edgecombe County, NC
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 10:45 AM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Pinetops, NC |
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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 8:00 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 142 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
- 832 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 584 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 169 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 223 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 3.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
327 WUUS1 KRDU 031431 RRA SVRRDU NCC065-031500- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC 1031 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA ...SOUTHERN EDGECOMBE COUNTY AT 1030 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM ENTERING SOUTHERN EDGECOMBE COUNTY WILL MOVE INTO THE TOWN OF PINETOPS SHORTLY. THIS STORM PRODUCE SOME DAMAGE IN WILSON COUNTY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED. IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM TAKE COVER NOW GO TO THE CENTER AND LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOUSE, IN A SMALL ROOM, AWAY FROM WINDOWS. RA
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, May 3, 6:56 AM EDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-031500- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 700 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997 ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 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 OVER ALL OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT ACROSS THE AREA WILL BE HIGH WINDS AND HAIL. AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS... LOCATED OVER EAST TENNESSEE AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY THIS MORNING... WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA TODAY. THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL PUSH INTO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION TO THE SHOWERS AND STORMS THAT WILL CROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON... ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE REGION AND STRONG LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL HELP SUPPORT SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BY 1100 AM. ANOTHER SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 1100 AM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS. GIH ********************************************************************* 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, May 3, 7:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 31 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-031500- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 700 AM EDT SAT MAY 3 1997 ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 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 OVER ALL OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT ACROSS THE AREA WILL BE HIGH WINDS AND HAIL. AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS... LOCATED OVER EAST TENNESSEE AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA EARLY THIS MORNING... WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA TODAY. THESE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL PUSH INTO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION TO THE SHOWERS AND STORMS THAT WILL CROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON... ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE REGION AND STRONG LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL HELP SUPPORT SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BY 1100 AM. ANOTHER SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 1100 AM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS. GIH ********************************************************************* 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
Local storm report, May 3, 10:15 AM EDT, 16 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
1015 AM EDT SAT MAY 03 1997
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1005 AM WILSON NC WILSON COUNTY EMERGENCY
05/03/97 WILSON REPORTED PART OF A SCHOOL
ROOF BLOWN OFF...VINSON
BYNUM SCHOOL. THREE MINOR
INJURIES...SOME CARS DAMAGED
AND DEBRIS ACROSS THE ROAD.
RALocal storm report, May 3, 10:21 AM EDT, 10 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
1015 AM EDT SAT MAY 03 1997
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1005 AM WILSON NC WILSON COUNTY EMERGENCY
05/03/97 WILSON REPORTED PART OF A SCHOOL
ROOF BLOWN OFF...VINSON
BYNUM SCHOOL. THREE MINOR
h INJURIES...SOME CARS DAMAGED
AND DEBRIS ACROSS THE ROAD.
RAThe office that day
Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 8:58 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Wake | 32 min |
| May 3, 10:10 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Wilson | 35 min |
| May 3, 10:12 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Wayne | 33 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.