Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Watch 201
The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at May 1, 2002, 11:30 PM EDT for 18 counties in North Carolina; Grayson County, Virginia. It was in force for 4 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 1, 2002, 11:30 PM EDT (03:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2002, 3:00 AM EDT
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Alexander County, NC, Alleghany County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Avery County, NC, Cabarrus County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Davie County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Guilford County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Surry County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Grayson County, VA
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:32 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
1 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 11:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Wilkes | 41 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 95 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
- 292 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -148 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1208 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 10 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 64 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 020330 SEL1 SPC WW 020324 NCZ000-TNZ000-020700- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 201 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1124 PM EDT WED MAY 1 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA EXTREME EAST TENNESSEE EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 1130 PM UNTIL 300 AM EDT. HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 35 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF HICKORY NORTH CAROLINA TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF GREENSBORO NORTH CAROLINA. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 197...WW 198...WW 199...WW 200... DISCUSSION...LARGE COMPLEX OF SEVERE STORMS IS NOW CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS INTO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. AIRMASS EAST OF MOUNTAINS REMAINS MOIST/UNSTABLE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID/UPPER 60S AND CAPE VALUES OF 500-1500 J/KG. IF CONVECTION CAN PERSIST...THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL REMAIN FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 29045. ...HART 365,0813 360,0794 351,0800 355,0815 WWUS20 KWNS 020330 SEL1 SPC WW 020324 NCZ000-TNZ000-020700- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 201 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1124 PM EDT WED MAY 1 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA EXTREME EAST TENNESSEE EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 1130 PM UNTIL 300 AM EDT. HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 35 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF HICKORY NORTH CAROLINA TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF GREENSBORO NORTH CAROLINA. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 197...WW 198...WW 199...WW 200... DISCUSSION...LARGE COMPLEX OF SEVERE STORMS IS NOW CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS INTO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. AIRMASS EAST OF MOUNTAINS REMAINS MOIST/UNSTABLE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID/UPPER 60S AND CAPE VALUES OF 500-1500 J/KG. IF CONVECTION CAN PERSIST...THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL REMAIN FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 29045. ...HART 365,0813 360,0794 351,0800 355,0815
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 9:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Mitchell | 4 hr |
| May 2, 1:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood and 6 more | 7 hr |
| May 2, 4:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Edgecombe, Franklin and 12 more | 5 hr |
| May 2, 4:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alamance, Alleghany, Caswell, Durham, Forsyth, Granville and 8 more | 6 hr |
| May 2, 5:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alamance, Alleghany, Caswell, Durham, Forsyth, Granville and 8 more | 5 hr |
| May 2, 9:45 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Wise and 2 more | 4 hr |
| May 2, 12:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath and 45 more | 5 hr |
| May 2, 2:30 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick and 16 more | 7 hr |
| May 2, 2:45 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Accomack, Amelia, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield and 50 more | 6 hr |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Watches in North Carolina, 2002Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Virginia, 2002Every severe thunderstorm watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.