Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 819

December 17, 200048 counties in North Carolina; 15 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 17, 2000, 12:30 AM EST for 48 counties in North Carolina; 15 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 17, 2000, 12:30 AM EST (05:30 UTC)
Expired
Dec 17, 2000, 7:00 AM EST
In force
7 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 63 counties

Anson County, NC, Beaufort County, NC, Bertie County, NC, Camden County, NC, Carteret County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Craven County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Dare County, NC, Duplin County, NC, Durham County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Gates County, NC, Granville County, NC, Greene County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Hoke County, NC, Hyde County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Jones County, NC, Lee County, NC, Lenoir County, NC, Martin County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Moore County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Orange County, NC, Pamlico County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Person County, NC, Pitt County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Scotland County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Vance County, NC, Wake County, NC, Warren County, NC, Washington County, NC, Wayne County, NC, Wilson County, NC, Brunswick County, VA, City of Chesapeake, VA, City of Emporia, VA, City of Franklin, VA, City of Hampton, VA, City of Norfolk, VA, City of Portsmouth, VA, City of Suffolk, VA, City of Virginia Beach, VA, Greensville County, VA, Isle of Wight County, VA, Lunenburg County, VA, Mecklenburg County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Sussex County, VA

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:34 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.

Warnings issued inside it

18 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 17, 12:33 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHFranklin, Johnston, Nash, Wake27 min
Dec 17, 12:57 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHFranklin, Nash33 min
Dec 17, 1:23 AM ESTTornado WarningRAHHalifax, Warren37 min
Dec 17, 1:43 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAKQGreensville, Sussex32 min
Dec 17, 2:07 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHOrange33 min
Dec 17, 2:18 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHPerson27 min
Dec 17, 2:26 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHAnson34 min
Dec 17, 2:46 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHMontgomery, Richmond29 min
Dec 17, 3:09 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHMoore36 min
Dec 17, 3:21 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville, Vance24 min
Dec 17, 3:29 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham31 min
Dec 17, 4:01 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Orange29 min
Dec 17, 4:20 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMHXCarteret, Onslow40 min
Dec 17, 4:29 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax31 min
Dec 17, 4:58 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMHXCarteret62 min
Dec 17, 5:27 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWilson18 min
Dec 17, 5:31 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMHXHyde44 min
Dec 17, 6:18 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMHXDare42 min

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 2000-12-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 152 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, Newport, NC at 00:00Z on 2000-12-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 181 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
152 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
748 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

162 
WWUS9 KMKC 170526
SEL9  

SEL9  
MKC WW 170518
NCZ000-VAZ000-CWZ000-171200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 819
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1218 AM EST SUN DEC 17 2000

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA                     
   SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA                           
   COASTAL WATERS                     

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING FROM 1230 AM UNTIL 700 AM EST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO
70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 115 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF FAYETTEVILLE NORTH
CAROLINA TO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF NORFOLK VIRGINIA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 818...

DISCUSSION...SEVERAL BANDS OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVR
RAPIDLY NEWD FROM PARTS OF THE CAROLINAS TOWARD VA IN ADVANCE OF
STRONG UPPER TROUGH AND FAST MOVING COLD FRONT.  LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
IS RAPIDLY RETURNING NWWD AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...AND VERY STRONG
LOW LEVEL WINDS/VERTICAL SHEAR IS SPREADING NWD ACROSS THE AREA. 
ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS INCLUDING TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE POSSIBLE
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH...EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 400. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22050.


...WEISS

344,0803 370,0782 370,0741 344,0762

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 16, 7:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCherokee, Graham, Swain4 hr
Dec 16, 11:00 PM ESTTornado WatchSPCBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender and 1 more6 hr
Dec 17, 7:00 AM ESTTornado WatchSPCBertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates, Hertford and 3 more5 hr
Dec 17, 2:15 AM ESTTornado WatchSPCAccomack, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Essex and 26 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2000Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2000Every tornado watch in 2000

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.