Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 99, NWS Raleigh, NC

July 20, 1997Cumberland County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 1997, 1:45 PM EDT for Cumberland County, North Carolina. It was in force for 30 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 20, 1997, 1:45 PM EDT (17:45 UTC)
Expired
Jul 20, 1997, 2:15 PM EDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Cumberland County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 20, 1:55 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 56Fayetteville, NCPOPE AIR FORCE BASE RECORDED A 64 MPH WIND GUST.

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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 150 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 1997-07-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 401 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 1997-07-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 56 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
401 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
927 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
77 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 201747 RRA
SVRRDU
NCC051-201815-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH/DURHAM NC
145 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH/DURHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  215 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
 
   ...NORTHERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY
 
AT 145 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER THE
FORT BRAGG MILITARY RESERVATION IN NORTHWEST CUMBERLAND COUNTY. THIS
STORM WAS DRIFTING VERY SLOWLY TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST.
 
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 20, 11:00 AM EDT, 2 hours 45 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 SUN JUL 20 1997

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

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON OVER CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA WITH THUNDERSTORMS MOST LIKELY IN AND NEAR THE FAYETTEVILLE
AND GOLDSBORO AREAS. THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE
LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINS. HOWEVER ONE OR TWO OF THE STORMS COULD
PRODUCE LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

EXTREMELY WARM MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR EXISTS OVER MUCH OF THE
SANDHILLS AND CENTRAL COASTAL PLAINS. THIS WILL BE THE TRIGGERING
MECHANISM FOR THE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

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

SWH
*********************************************************************

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 20, 2:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHAnson31 min
Jul 20, 3:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHoke34 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.