Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 63, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 4, 1998Halifax County, Nash County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 1998, 2:56 PM EDT for Halifax County, Nash County, North Carolina. It was in force for 34 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 4, 1998, 2:56 PM EDT (18:56 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1998, 3:30 PM EDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Halifax County, NC, Nash County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 4, 3:25 PM EDTHail 0.75Darlington, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 4, 2:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 187 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 1998-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 103 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 1998-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 45 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
103 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
669 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
175 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 041856 RRA
SVRRDU
NCC083-127-041930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
256 PM EDT MON MAY 4 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL HALIFAX COUNTY
  NORTHEASTERN NASH COUNTY

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT

* AT 255 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF NASHVILLE... MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ENDFIELD BETWEEN 215PM AND 230 PM

DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY. GO INSIDE A STURDY
BUILDING AND STAY 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 4, 11:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-040000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1100 AM EDT MON MAY 4 1998

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...

(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 THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM HAIL.

A SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER KENTUCKY WITH AN ASSOCIATED
COLD AIR ALOFT IN COMBINATION WITH MOISTURE IN THE LOWER ATMOSPHERIC
LEVELS WILL PRODUCE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT. THE COLD AIR ALOFT WILL ACT TO PRODUCE HAIL IN SOME
THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND.

THE TRIAD...ALBEMARLE...WADESBORO AND ROCKINGHAM AREAS COULD SEE
SEVERE STORMS BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...WHILE THE TRIANGLE...
FAYETTEVILLE AND ROCKY MOUNT-WILSON REGIONS WILL MAINLY BE AFFECTED
DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AFTER 100 PM.

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

JWC
*********************************************************************

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 4, 11:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088>089-040000-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1100 AM EDT MON MAY 4 1998

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...

(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 THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM HAIL.

A SLOW MOVING UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER KENTUCKY WITH AN ASSOCIATED
COLD AIR ALOFT IN COMBINATION WITH MOISTURE IN THE LOWER ATMOSPHERIC
LEVELS WILL PRODUCE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT. THE COLD AIR ALOFT WILL ACT TO PRODUCE HAIL IN SOME
THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND.

THE TRIAD...ALBEMARLE...WADESBORO AND ROCKINGHAM AREAS COULD SEE
SEVERE STORMS BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...WHILE THE TRIANGLE...
FAYETTEVILLE AND ROCKY MOUNT-WILSON REGIONS WILL MAINLY BE AFFECTED
DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AFTER 100 PM.

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

JWC
*********************************************************************

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
May 4, 3:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland36 min
May 4, 3:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHSampson47 min
May 4, 3:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWayne33 min
May 4, 4:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWilson50 min
May 4, 4:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHEdgecombe48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.