Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 7, 1998Davidson County, Forsyth County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1998, 6:41 PM EDT for Davidson County, Forsyth County, North Carolina. It was in force for 34 min. 2 reports 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 7, 1998, 6:41 PM EDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1998, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Davidson County, NC, Forsyth County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 7, 7:00 PM EDTHail 1Kernersville, NCQuarter size hail fell on the northwest side of Kernersville. This event was reported by Triad Skywarn.
May 7, 7:10 PM EDTTornado F1Wallburg, NCMany trees were blown on homes. Around 15 homes sustained serious damage. A service station lost most of its roof.

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 7, 5:30 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 33 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 1998-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 49 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 1998-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 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
49 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
523 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 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 072241 RRA
TORRDU

NCC057-067-072315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
641 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN DAVIDSON COUNTY
  SOUTHERN FORSYTH COUNTY

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 640 PM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO NEAR CLEMMONS IN SOUTHWEST FORSYTH COUNTY... MOVING EAST
  AT 30 MPH.

* THE TfORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  ALONG FORSYTH AND DAVIDSON COUNTY LINE
  ARCADIA
  WALLBURG

GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR!

PWB

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 7, 5:26 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
526 PM EDT THU MAY 07 1998

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

0510 PM    CONCORD                   NC   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98   PERSON                         OCCURRED AT THE SOUTH END
                                          OF HYCO LAKE. REPORTED BY
                                          COUNTY MAGISTRATE.
Local storm report, May 7, 6:40 PM EDT, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
640 PM EDT THU MAY 07 1998

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

0635 PM    CLEMMONS                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/98   FORSYTH                        ROOF TORN OFF HOUSE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 4:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHPerson33 min
May 7, 6:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHForsyth35 min
May 7, 7:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGuilford, Randolph32 min
May 7, 7:19 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHDavidson16 min
May 7, 7:27 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHGuilford33 min
May 7, 7:44 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHRandolph31 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.