Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 9, 1998Johnston County, Wayne County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 9, 1998, 2:18 AM EST for Johnston County, Wayne County, North Carolina. It was in force for 37 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
Mar 9, 1998, 2:18 AM EST (07:18 UTC)
Expired
Mar 9, 1998, 2:55 AM EST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Johnston County, NC, Wayne County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 9, 2:45 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50Smithfield, NCSeveral trees were uprooted and snapped off in Smithfield. The damage was associated with strong thunderstorm winds.

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
Mar 9, 2:15 AM ESTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 140 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, Newport, NC at 00:00Z on 1998-03-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 628 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Newport, NC at 00:00Z on 1998-03-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 234 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
628 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
504 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
263 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KRDU 090716 RRA
TORRDU
NCC101-191-090755-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
218 AM EST MON MAR 9 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  EASTERN JOHNSTON COUNTY
  WESTERN WAYNE COUNTY

* UNTIL 255 AM EST

* THIS TORNADO WILL AFFECT:


* AT 205 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHERN JOHNSTON COUNTY NEAR NEWTON
  GROVE.
  A TORNADO WAS REPORTED FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM AS IT CROSSED
  SAMPSON
  COUNTY.  THIS STORM WILL AFFECT KENLY PRINCETON IN JOHNSTON
  COUNTY AND ROSEWOOD IN SOUTHWEST WAYNE COUNTY.

IF YOU ARE NEAR THIS DANGEROUS STORM, TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN
THE LOWEST FLOOR AND INNER MOST ROOM OF A BUILDING.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

PEOPLE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD ACT NOW TO PROTECT THEIR
LIVES. GO TO THE LOWEST FLOOR...A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM OR CLOSET.
COVER
YOUR HEAD. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND
VEHICLES
AND INTO A STURDY BUILDING OR A DITCH. REPORT DAMAGE TO EMERGENCY
OFFICIALS FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.


The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 9, 1:51 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHSampson34 min
Mar 9, 2:05 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningRAHJohnston, Wake115 min
Mar 9, 2:47 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHWilson28 min
Mar 9, 2:52 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHWayne33 min
Mar 9, 3:02 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHEdgecombe33 min
Mar 9, 3:12 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHHalifax33 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.