Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1999
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Raleigh, NC
NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 1999, 4:06 PM EST for Halifax County, Nash County, North Carolina. It was in force for 49 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 3, 1999, 4:06 PM EST (21:06 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 3, 1999, 4:55 PM EST
- In force
- 49 min
- Issued by
- NWS Raleigh, NC
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Halifax County, NC, Nash County, NC
The radar
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:06 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 4:50 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Countywide, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2:15 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 171 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
- 1435 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 153 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KRDU 032106 RRA TORRDU NCC083-127-032155- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 406 PM EST WED MAR 3 1999 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... HALIFAX COUNTY NASH COUNTY * UNTIL 455 PM EST * AT 406 PM EST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR NASHVILLE... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... UP I-95 TO NE2AR NASH/HALIFAX COUNTY LINE BY 420 PM ENDFIELD AT 425 PM IF YOU ARE IN A MULTIPLE STORY BUILDING...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM WINDOWS. GIH/WSS
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
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 11:15 AM EST, 4 hours 51 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 1115 AM EST THU MAR 3 1999 ...POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON... (THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA APPLIES ONLY TO THE COUNTIES LISTED AT THE END OF TEXT.) THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. THE AREA OF CONCERN IS EAST OF I-95. THE MAJOR THREAT WILL BE FROM WIND. STRONG LOW LEVEL AND SURFACE WINDS WILL PICK UP AND MAY BE ENHANCED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. THUS THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE FOR DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS. A THREAT FOR DAMAGING HAIL ALSO EXISTS ALBEIT A SECONDARY CONCERN AT THIS POINT. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING BLUSTERY WINDS AND RAIN TO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE MID 70S AND THE LINE OF RAIN PROGRESSES TO THE EAST...THE RAINS MAY CHANGE INTO MORE THUNDERSTORMS. WARM MOIST AIR WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THIS IN ADDITION TO THE WINDS ALOFT THAT ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED 60 MILES AN HOUR AND ANY THUNDERSTORM COULD FORCE THESE DAMAGING WINDS TO THE SURFACE. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS MINIMAL IN THE TRIAD...TRIANGLE AND SOUTHERN PIEDMONT AREA. HOWEVER SHOULD A THUNDERSTORM DEVELOP...IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE SEVERE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN THE AREAS EAST OF I-95. SPOTTERS NEED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SKYWARN BEING ACTIVATED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS. CLINE *********************************************************************** 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
Local storm report, Mar 3, 1:47 PM EST, 2 hours 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
147 PM EST WED MAR 03 1999
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0100 PM ARCOLA NC .75 INCH HAIL
03/03/99 WARREN WARREN COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT REPORTED DIME
SIZE HAIL IN ARCOLA.Local storm report, Mar 3, 2:53 PM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
253 PM EST WED MAR 03 1999
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0225 PM WINSTON SALEM NC .75 INCH HAIL
03/03/99 FORSYTH SKYWARN OBSERVERS REPORTED
DIME SIZE HAIL IN WINSTON
SALEM.Local storm report, Mar 3, 2:57 PM EST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
257 PM EST WED MAR 03 1999
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0225 PM WINSTON SALEM NC WIND DAMAGE
03/03/99 FORSYTH SKYWARN OBSERVERS REPORTED
HIGHWAY EXIT SIGNS BLOWN
DOWN IN WINSTON SALEMLocal storm report, Mar 3, 2:58 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
258 PM EST WED MAR 03 1999
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0120 PM ROANOKE RAPIDS NC .75 INCH HAIL
03/03/99 HALIFAX SKYWARN OBSERVERS REPORTED
DIME SIZE HAIL IN ROANOKE
RAPIDS.Local storm report, Mar 3, 3:41 PM EST, 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
341 PM EST WED MAR 03 1999
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0326 PM FAYETTEVILLE ARPT NC 61 MPH TSTM GUST
03/03/99 CUMBERLAND ASOS REPORTThe office that day
Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1:25 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Johnston | 30 min |
| Mar 3, 3:19 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Cumberland, Harnett, Sampson | 31 min |
| Mar 3, 3:37 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Johnston, Wake | 33 min |
| Mar 3, 3:51 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Nash, Wilson | 44 min |
| Mar 3, 3:51 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Sampson, Wayne | 44 min |
| Mar 3, 4:03 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Granville | 47 min |
| Mar 3, 4:09 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Franklin | 46 min |
| Mar 3, 4:16 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Vance, Warren | 49 min |
| Mar 3, 4:31 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson | 49 min |
| Mar 3, 4:46 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Halifax | 49 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes 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.