Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 92, NWS Raleigh, NC

July 16, 1997Harnett County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 16, 1997, 5:58 PM EDT for Harnett County, North Carolina. It was in force for 32 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
Jul 16, 1997, 5:58 PM EDT (21:58 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1997, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Harnett County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 16, 6:16 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Erwin, NCTREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN IN ERWIN.

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, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 122 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 1997-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1460 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 12:00Z on 1997-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 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
1460 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1145 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
1 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-15 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 162159 RRA
SVRRDU
NCC085-162230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
558 PM EDT WED JUL 16 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...HARNETT COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE EAST THROUGH WESTERN AND
INTO CENTRAL HARNETT COUNTY. THE LITTLE RIVER AREAS OF WESTERN HARNETT
COUNTY ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM. THE STORM WILL APPROACH LILLINGTON
BY 610 PM.
 
 
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, Jul 16, 12:00 PM EDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-171200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
12 PM EDT WED JUL 16 1997

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

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED ALTHOUGH ISOLATED
STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SOME HAIL AND POSSIBLY SOME
DAMAGING WIND.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE TAR HEEL STATE
TODAY...BECOMING STATIONARY NEAR THE COAST THIS EVENING. THE TROUGH
WILL BE OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA WHEN HEATING WILL BE MAXIMIZED
THIS AFTERNOON. THE TROUGH WILL ACT AS A FOCUS FOR AFTERNOON AND
EVENING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY ALTHOUGH SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.

RLH
*********************************************************************

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 16, 12:01 PM EDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-171200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
12 PM EDT WED JUL 16 1997

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

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED ALTHOUGH ISOLATED
STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SOME HAIL AND POSSIBLY SOME
DAMAGING WIND.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE TAR HEEL STATE
TODAY...BECOMING STATIONARY NEAR THE COAST THIS EVENING. THE TROUGH
WILL BE OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA WHEN HEATING WILL BE MAXIMIZED
THIS AFTERNOON. THE TROUGH WILL ACT AS A FOCUS FOR AFTERNOON AND
EVENING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY ALTHOUGH SPOTTERS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.

RLH
*********************************************************************

ALAMANCE          ANSON              CHATHAM            CUMBERLAND
DAVIDSON          DURHAM             EDGECOMBE          FORSYTH
FRANKLIN          GRANVILLE          GUILFORD           HALIFAX
HARNETT           HOKE               JOHNSTON           LEE
MONTGOMERY        MOORE              NASH               ORANGE
PERSON            RANDOLPH           RICHMOND           SAMPSO*N
SCOTLAND          STANLY             VANCE              WAKE
WARREN            WAYNE              WILSON
Local storm report, Jul 16, 2:43 PM EDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
STORM REPORT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
243 PM EDT WED JUL 16 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

245 PM     DENTON ARPT               NC   60 MPH WIND GUST
07/15/97   DAVIDSON                       A MICROBURST BLEW DOWN
                                          SEVERAL TREES...DAMAGING
                                          ONE HOME.  A MANUFACTURED
                                          HOME WAS PUSHED OFF ITS
                                          FOUNDATION.
Local storm report, Jul 16, 2:49 PM EDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
STORM REPORT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM, NC
243 PM EDT WED JUL 16 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

245 PM     DENTON ARPT               NC   60 MPH WIND GUST
07/15/97   DAVIDSON                       A MICROBURST BLEW DOWN
                                          SEVERAL TREES...DAMAGING
                                          ONE HOME.  A MANUFACTURED
                                          HOME WAS PUSHED OFF ITS
                                          FOUNDATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 4:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham26 min
Jul 16, 5:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHRandolph35 min
Jul 16, 5:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGuilford35 min
Jul 16, 5:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWake27 min
Jul 16, 5:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston35 min
Jul 16, 6:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland31 min
Jul 16, 7:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWayne27 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.