Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 18, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 7:50 PM EDT for Haywood County, North Carolina. It was in force for 45 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
- Apr 16, 1998, 7:50 PM EDT (23:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 16, 1998, 8:35 PM EDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Haywood County, NC
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:53 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 8:10 PM EDT | Hail 0.88 | Waynesville, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| Apr 16, 5:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 280 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 498 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 55 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 265 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 266 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
316 WFUS1 KGSP 162352 RRA TORGSP NCC087-170035- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 750 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... SOUTHERN HAYWOOD COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 835 PM EDT * AT 750 PM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 8 MILES WEST OF WAYNESVILLE... MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... WAYNESVILLE AT 810 PM CANTON AT 825 PM PEOPLE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE ACTION NOW TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES. GO TO YOUR BASEMENT...THE CENTER OF BUILDINGS...COVER YOUR HEAD. DO NOT GO NEAR DOORS AND WINDOWS. GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES AND GO TO A STURDY BUILDING OR A DITCH. JAT
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 16, 2:03 PM EDT, 5 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 2:03 PM EDT, 5 hours 47 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG, SC 203 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998 DISC: ACTIVE FRONTAL BNDRY WL APPROACH THE FA OVERNIGHT...THEN STALL ACROSS THE FTHLS/PIEDMONT FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. CURRENT CONCERN IS TORNADO WATCH FOR WESTERN NC...AND CONTINUED SVR THREAT ACRS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. STRONG WIND FIELDS AND MODERATE INSTABILITY WL BE SUFFICIENT FOR SOME SVR WX...AND I RCMD SVR WORDING ALL AREAS OVERNIGHT. CURRENT WIND PROFILE LOOKS QUITE UNIDIRECTIONAL WITH CONSIDERABLE SPEED SHEAR...BUT 12Z MODEL GUIDANCE DOES INDICATE A BACKING IN THE LOWEST LEVELS THIS EVE AND OVERNIGHT WHICH WL INCREASE HELICITY. ALSO CONCERNED WITH HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL...WITH FRONTAL SYSTEM PARALLEL TO MID AND UPPER LVL FLOW AND INSTABILITY IN PLACE. RCMD NO ADDITIONAL FFAS ATTM...BUT WE WL NEED TO MONITOR CONVECTIVE TRENDS AND MESO DATA FOR PSBL SHORT FUSED WATCH LATER. NEXT WAVE FORMS ALONG THE FRONT SATURDAY...SPREADING THE RETURN THREAT OF R+ AND PSBL SVR INTO THE FA LATE IN THE WEEKEND. AVL 57/69/54/63 7744 CLT 64/78/61/68 5644 GSP 61/74/58/66 7744 JOHNSTONE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 5:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-170330- SEVERE WEATHER OUTOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 525 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS FROM AVERY COUNTY SOUTH UNTIL 11 PM EDT... ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY... ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA... A WARM...MOIST AIRMASS AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST US TONIGHT. WITH STRONG WINDS ALOFT...SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSILBY TORNADOES. IN ADDITION TO SEVERE WEATHER...HEAVY RAINFALL FROM REPETITIVE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY COULD PRODUCE RUNOFF PROBLEMS. LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE A THREAT TONIGHT. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT. INITIALLY THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES WILL BE OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...HOWEVER MORE WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER COULD EXPAND SOUTH INTO THE GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AND EAST INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT... LEADING TO THE ISSUANCE OF ADDITIONAL WATCHES. PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD STAY INFORMED OF THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... AND SHOULD BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THROUGHOUT THE AREA TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL TV OR RADIO...CABLE TV...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. JAT
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 5:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-170330- SEVERE WEATHER OUTOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 525 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS FROM AVERY COUNTY SOUTH UNTIL 11 PM EDT... ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY... ...SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT...UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA... A WARM...MOIST AIRMASS AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST US TONIGHT. WITH STRONG WINDS ALOFT...SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSILBY TORNADOES. IN ADDITION TO SEVERE WEATHER...HEAVY RAINFALL FROM REPETITIVE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY COULD PRODUCE RUNOFF PROBLEMS. LIGHTNING WILL ALSO BE A THREAT TONIGHT. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT. INITIALLY THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES WILL BE OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...HOWEVER MORE WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER COULD EXPAND SOUTH INTO THE GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...AND EAST INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT... LEADING TO THE ISSUANCE OF ADDITIONAL WATCHES. PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA SHOULD STAY INFORMED OF THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... AND SHOULD BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THROUGHOUT THE AREA TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL TV OR RADIO...CABLE TV...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. JAT
Local storm report, Apr 16, 7:20 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
720 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
650 PM TAPOCO NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 GRAHAM COMMS/AMATEUR RADIO ALSO
NON-SPECIFIC WIND DAMAGE
645 PM TUSKEGEE NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 GRAHAM AMATEUR RADIO ALSO
NON-SPECIFIC WIND DAMAGE
702 PM STECOAH NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 GRAHAM AMATEUR RAXDIO AND
COMMUNICATIONS
JONESLocal storm report, Apr 16, 7:20 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
720 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
650 PM TAPOCO NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 GRAHAM COMMS/AMATEUR RADIO ALSO
NON-SPECIFIC WIND DAMAGE
645 PM TUSKEGEE NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 GRAHAM AMATEUR RADIO ALSO
NON-SPECIFIC WIND DAMAGE
702 PM STECOAH NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 GRAHAM AMATEUR RAXDIO AND
COMMUNICATIONS
JONESLocal storm report, Apr 16, 7:38 PM EDT, 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
738 PM EDT THU APR 16 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
729 PM BRYSON CITY NC 1.00 INCH HAIL
04/16/98 SWAIN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS
OBSERVED AND REPORTED
JONESThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 6:37 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Graham | 58 min |
| Apr 16, 7:08 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Swain | 62 min |
| Apr 16, 7:30 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Jackson | 45 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.