Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 31, 2002Sampson County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 31, 2002, 2:34 PM EST for Sampson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 26 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 31, 2002, 2:34 PM EST (19:34 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2002, 3:00 PM EST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Whole counties

County Sampson County, NC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 31, 2:45 PM ESTHail 1.75Clinton, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 31, 1:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 138 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 12:00Z on 2002-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 463 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 12:00Z on 2002-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 144 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
463 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
740 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

456 
WFUS52 KRAH 311934
TORRAH
NCC163-312000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
233 PM EST SUN MAR 31 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SAMPSON COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 300 PM EST

* AT 233 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROSEBORO...OR ABOUT 12 MILES WEST OF
  CLINTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
  SALEMBURG
  ROSEBORO
  HOBBTON
  CLINTON

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE
BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE
BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

$$

WSS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 12:45 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHScotland45 min
Mar 31, 1:02 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland43 min
Mar 31, 1:58 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHSampson17 min
Mar 31, 2:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland30 min
Mar 31, 2:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHSampson34 min
Mar 31, 2:30 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston, Wayne30 min
Mar 31, 2:50 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland25 min
Mar 31, 3:04 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHSampson26 min
Mar 31, 3:05 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWayne25 min
Mar 31, 3:13 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHStanly62 min
Mar 31, 3:40 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHMontgomery50 min
Mar 31, 4:08 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland22 min
Mar 31, 4:15 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHAnson30 min
Mar 31, 4:48 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham, Lee27 min
Mar 31, 5:11 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWake49 min
Mar 31, 6:20 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRAHWake85 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.