Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

May 6, 1999Buncombe County, McDowell County, Yancey County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 6, 1999, 6:22 AM EDT for Buncombe County, McDowell County, Yancey County, North Carolina. It was in force for 33 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 6, 1999, 6:22 AM EDT (10:22 UTC)
Expired: May 6, 1999, 6:55 AM EDT
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

Counties Buncombe County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Yancey County, NC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:23 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
May 6, 6:28 AM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Swannanoa, 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 nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 219 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 904 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 219 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.

999 
WFUS1 KGSP 061023 RRA
TORGSP
NCC021-111-199-061055-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
622 AM EDT THU MAY 6 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN BUNCOMBE COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHERN YANCEY COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  WESTERN AND CENTRAL MCDOWELL COUNTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 655 AM EDT

* AT 619 AM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 14 MILES SOUTH OF BURNSVILLE OR IN THE VICINITY OF
  MONTREAT... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  GRAPHITE AT 623 AM EDT
  OLD FORT AT 625 AM EDT
  MOUNT MITCHELL STATE PARK AT 625 AM EDT
  BURNSVILLE AT 630 AM EDT
  CELO  AT 635 AM EDT
  MARION AT 640 AM EDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IN A HOME
OR BUSINESS IS AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. STAY
AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS.

SAB

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 May 6, 2:13 AM EDT, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 2:13 AM EDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
213 AM EDT THU MAY 6 1999

INITIAL CONCERNS ARE RECENT TORNADO WATCH BOX JUST ISSUED FOR
NORTHERN GEORGIA...AND NEW SVR TSTM BOX FOR XTRM WRN CAROLINAS
THROUGH PREDAWN. CONVECTION FIRING RAPIDLY AHEAD OF MAIN SQUALL
LINE...ATMOS QUITE JUICY AHEAD OF THESE STORMS AND WITH DIFFLUENT
FLOW IN PLACE AND ISENTROPIC LIFT IN PLACE...STORMS SHOULD AT LEAST
MAINTAIN THIERR CURRENT INTENSITY TIL LATE IN PREDAWN WHEN THEY MOVE
FAR AHEAD OF UPR SUPPORT.

NGM/ETA ARE QUITE SIMILAR IN THEIR HANDLING OF SURFACE FRONT AND
SUGGSTING THAT JUST SLOW EWRD PROGRESS OF THIS FEATURE WILL CONTINUE
AS UPR LOW CONTINUES TO SPIN AND ACTUALLY PULL A LITTLE NORTHWARD
THROUGH 00Z SAT. VARIOUS PIECES OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY PULL AWAY FROM
BASE OF UPR TROUGH...NGM A BIT STRONGER WITH THESE. BOTH AGREE THAT
PIECE PULLING EWRD LATE AFTN AND TNT WILL WEAKEN BUT MOVE OVR STHRN
PART OF CWFA...WITH THETA-E RIDGE IN PLACE OVR REGION AND SOME DVRG
ALF. CAPES SURGE TWRD 1500 J/KG IN EAST BUT THAT WHOLLY DEPENDENT ON
GETTING SOME SUN IN EAST. THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CLOUDS ARND
AS YESTERDAY AND WILL KEEP TEMP CLIMBS TO A MINIMUM. TIME SECTIONS
STILL SUGST A GOOD VEERING WIND SIGNATURE OVR MOST OF CWFA AND
WUDNT RULE OUT SVR BUT SPC HAS SLGHT RISK AREA TO OUR WEST TDY.
REGARDLESS...WITH DEEPEST MOISTR OF THE WEEK IN PLACE TDY...WILL GO
CATEGORICAL POPS ALL AREAS TDY...WITH LIKELY FOR TNT. NO DOUBT WILL
SEE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY ONGOING THIS EVENG ACROSS TENNESSEE THAT
WILL AFFECT WRN AREAS IN PREDAWN...AND EXPECT QUITE A BIT OF RW/TRW
IN ERN MOST CWFA AT SUNDOWN.

MDLS SUGST FRONT INTO ERN TN BY 00Z SAT...WITH GRDL COOLING OF
TEMPS ALF AS STRONGEST PIECE OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY YET GETS SHUNTED
NW OF CWFA...BUT STILL SOME IMPRESSIVE DPVA IN PLACE FOR WEST. BEST
INSTABILITY WILL BE OVR STHRN MOST CWFA...WITH ETA SUGSTNG SOME
BETTER JET DYNAMICS IN PLACE FOR US FRIDAY AFTN. HVR...MOISTR NOT
AS DEEP. IN ANY EVENT...WILL GO WITH LIKELY TO CATEGORICAL POPS FOR
FRIDAY. TEMPS...BLO GUIDANCE TDY...NEAR NGM MAXES FRI WITH ABUNDANT
CLOUDINESS EXPECTED.

AVL TT 070/060 072/058 076 44978
CLT TT 075/062 077/062 079 44876
GSP TT 075/063 078/063 079 44877

.GSP...NONE.

BURRUS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 6, 1:44 AM EDT, 4 hours 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
144 AM EDT THU MAY 06 1999

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

141 AM     CLAYTON                   GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/06/99   RABUN                          REPORTED BY COUNTY 911.

CSH

Local storm report, May 6, 2:56 AM EDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
256 AM EDT THU MAY 06 1999

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

255 AM     WAYNESVILLE               NC   .88 INCH HAIL
05/06/99   HAYWOOD                        REPORTED BY COUNTY 911.

251 AM     NW OF WAYNESVILLE         NC   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/06/99   HAYWOOD                        PUBLIC REPORT RELAYED
                                          THROUGH COUNTY 911.

CSH

Special weather statement, May 6, 3:45 AM EDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-
019-061500-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
345 AM EDT THU MAY 6 1999

...ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE WESTERN
CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA TODAY...

ONGOING STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY EARLY THIS MORNING IS EXPECTED
TO WIND DOWN TOWARD DAYBREAK. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
BEGIN DEVELOPING AGAIN FROM THE SOUTHWEST BY NOON WITH
THE GREATEST COVERAGE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE
SAME WARM AND MOIST AIRMASS THAT GAVE RISE TO STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS WILL PERSIST
TODAY THROUGHOUT THE AREA. WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT
EXPECTED TODAY...A FEW OF THESE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS COULD
PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE RADIO OR
TELEVISION STATION TODAY IN ORDER TO STAY ABREAST OF ANY FURTHER
WATCHES OR WARNINGS SHOULD THEY BE REQUIRED.

HG

Local storm report, May 6, 5:25 AM EDT, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
525 AM EDT THU MAY 06 1999

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

515 AM     CULLOWHEE                 NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/06/99   JAKSON                         ONE TREE DOWN AND
                                          WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES
                                          IN CULLOWHEE. REPORT FROM
                                          JACKSON COUNTY 911.

521 AM     3 E SYLVA                 NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/99   JACKSON                        DIME-SIZED HAIL (AND A LOT
                                          OF PEA-SIZED HAIL) FALLING
                                          IN THE ADDIE COMMUNITY.
                                          POWER OUTAGES IN THE
                                          REGION AS WELL. REPORT
                                          FROM HAM RADIO OPERATOR.

BURRUS

Local storm report, May 6, 5:25 AM EDT, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED SPELLING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
525 AM EDT THU MAY 06 1999

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

515 AM     CULLOWHEE                 NC   WIND DAMAGE
05/06/99   JACKSON                        ONE TREE DOWN AND
                                          WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES
                                          IN CULLOWHEE. REPORT FROM
                                          JACKSON COUNTY 911.

521 AM     3 E SYLVA                 NC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/99   JACKSON                        DIME-SIZED HAIL (AND A LOT
                                          OF PEA-SIZED HAIL) FALLING
                                          IN THE ADDIE COMMUNITY.
                                          POWER OUTAGES IN THE
                                          REGION AS WELL. REPORT
                                          FROM HAM RADIO OPERATOR.

BURRUS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 6, 1:52 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Macon	48 min
May 6, 1:59 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Swain	51 min
May 6, 2:28 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Jackson	47 min
May 6, 2:49 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Haywood	36 min
May 6, 5:05 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Jackson	35 min
May 6, 5:30 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Haywood	30 min
May 6, 6:04 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Buncombe	36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1999 Every tornado warning in 1999 Tornadoes in 1999

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.