Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 20, NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 2002, 9:40 PM EDT for Lenoir County, North Carolina. It was in force for 20 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 13, 2002, 9:40 PM EDT (01:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 2002, 10:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 20 min
- Issued by
- NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Lenoir County, NC
The radar
The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:43 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 13, 9:50 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 M | Graingers, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 6:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 86 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
- 188 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -137 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1047 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 177 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 195 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS52 KMHX 140140 SVRMHX NCC107-140200- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING...FOR WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT-MOREHEAD CITY NC 940 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... LENOIR COUNTY IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 1000 PM EDT * AT 940 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM DAWSON TO MOSS HILL...OR FROM KINSTON TO 9 MILES SOUTH OF LA GRANGE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. * SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR... GRANGERS...AND...JONESTOWN AT 945 PM EDT. OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE DEEP RUN. THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS. IF YOU ARE IN THEIR PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE OR IN MOBILE HOMES SHOULD MOVE TO A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER...INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. $$ 14
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 13, 2:00 PM EDT, 7 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 13, 2:00 PM EDT, 7 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CO FOR TYPOS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC 200 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002 SHORT TERM: TEMPERATURES RESPONDING TO DELAYED HEATING WITH READINGS CURRENTLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S. HIGHS SHOULD REACH NEAR 90 AND BE ABLE TO TAP INTO AVAILABLE INSTAB (CAPES 3000 J/KG LI -8). WATER VAPOR LOOPS INDICATE IMMINENT PHASING OF THE NRN/SRN STREAMS AS INDICATED BY NWP GUIDANCE. 15Z SFC ANALYSIS INDICATED A NEW SFC LOW FORMING OVER NRN KY WHICH WILL BECOME THE MAIN LOW. STRONG DIFL ALOFT ASSCTD WITH THE PHASING STREAMS WILL AID SFC LOW DEVELOPMENT AND MODELS DEEPEN THE LOW TO AROUND 995 MB BY 00Z. THIS IS FAIRLY STRONG FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AND WILL CAUSE A BACKING AND STRENGTHENING OF THE LOW AND MID LVL WIND FIELDS. THESE CONDITIONS FAVOR ROTATING UPDRAFTS AND STRONG DOWNDRAFTS. DOWNDRAFTS WILL ALSO BE ENHANCED BY DRY AIR PARCELS ABOVE 600 MB. ALTHOUGH BEST TORNADO THREAT EXISTS NORTH OF HERE...WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH DISCRETE CELLS EXHIBITING DEVIANT MOTION FOR POSSIBLE SPIN UPS. MAIN THREAT WILL BE WIND DAMAGE IN BOWING SEGMENTS ALTHOUGH LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE DUE TO LOW WBZ HEIGHTS (10000 FT). WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS AND FOLLOW CLOSER TO WARMER GUID FOR MINS AS THE MAV HAS A COLD BIAS INITIALLY WITH FROPAS. TROUGH ASSCTD WITH UPPER LOW OVR NY/NEW ENGLAND WILL PASS ACROSS ESTRN NC LATE TUE. MODEL RH FIELDS ARE VERY DRY EXCEPT FOR SOME SHALLOW MOIST AROUND 900 MB. GIVEN STRENGTH OF UPPER SYSTEM AND ADVECTION OF COOL 500 MB TEMPS...WOULD EXPECT SOME SCT-BKN STRATO-CU...ESPECIALLY ACROSS MY NRN COUNTIES. DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL COUNTERACT CAA AND WILL GO WITH GUIDANCE HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. MAINLY CLR SKIES EXPECTED TUE NIGHT BUT ALSO SHOULD BE SOME LOW LEVEL MIXING AND WILL TEND TWRDS HIGHER GUID LOWS. CAROLINA BLUE SKIES WILL PREVAIL WED AS A SPRAWLING RIDGE OF HIGH PRES DRIFTS EAST JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE. EFP: 00Z/12Z AVN RUNS VERY SIMILAR WITH RESPECT TO FRONTAL MOVEMENT OVER THE WEEKEND. BOTH ARE NOW FASTER IN BRINGING THE SYSTEM THROUGH FRI NIGHT INTO SAT. WILL FOLLOW THIS SCENARIO WITH LOW CHC POPS BUT CONFIDENCE NOT TOO HIGH WITH SUCH A LARGE CHANGE FROM YSTDY. REMAINDER OF EFP SHOULD BE DRY WITH NEAR SEASONABLE TEMPS. MARINE: STRONG SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES TO STAY UP OVERNIGHT. DAYBREAK SHOULD USHER NW 25 KT IN THE 20 NM CORRIDOR AS THE FRONT WILL BE WELL OFFSHORE BY THEN. WILL WORD SOME TSTMS MAY BE SEVERE TONIGHT. FOR MARINE INTERESTS...CALMER WATERS AND WINDS SLATED FOR WED THU. INCREASED THREAT FOR RIPS STAY UP THIS AFTN LIKELY INTO TUE MORNIN. .MHX...SCA FOR SOUNDS AND COASTAL WATERS. ELARDO/COLBY
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 13, 9:22 PM EDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY, NC
922 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0918 PM 5 SW ROBERSONVILLE NC 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/13/02 MARTIN REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT
JMEThe office that day
Everything else NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 8:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Lenoir | 54 min |
| May 13, 8:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Greene, Martin, Pitt | 37 min |
| May 13, 9:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Duplin | 59 min |
| May 13, 9:06 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | MHX | Martin | 24 min |
| May 13, 9:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Beaufort | 44 min |
| May 13, 9:29 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | MHX | 61 min | |
| May 13, 9:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Washington | 58 min |
| May 13, 9:39 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Craven, Jones | 51 min |
| May 13, 10:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MHX | Onslow | 23 min |
| May 13, 10:39 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | MHX | 66 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002
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.