Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 212
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 2, 2002, 4:00 PM EDT for 18 counties in North Carolina; Mecklenburg County, Virginia. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 2, 2002, 4:00 PM EDT (20:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2002, 9:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Bertie County, NC, Camden County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Currituck County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Gates County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Hertford County, NC, Martin County, NC, Nash County, NC, Northampton County, NC, Pasquotank County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Vance County, NC, Warren County, NC, Washington County, NC, Mecklenburg County, VA
The radar
The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:02 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
12 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 4:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Brunswick, Mecklenburg | 40 min |
| May 2, 5:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 40 min |
| May 2, 6:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Halifax, Vance, Warren | 23 min |
| May 2, 6:09 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Brunswick, Mecklenburg | 31 min |
| May 2, 6:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Northampton | 40 min |
| May 2, 6:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | AKQ | Northampton | 30 min |
| May 2, 7:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Hertford, Northampton | 39 min |
| May 2, 7:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Northampton | 29 min |
| May 2, 8:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Gates, Hertford | 29 min |
| May 2, 8:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank | 31 min |
| May 2, 8:48 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Mecklenburg | 32 min |
| May 2, 8:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AKQ | Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank, Perquimans | 31 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 172 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
- 1899 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -18 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 546 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 72 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 255 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 399 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.7
- Supercell composite
- 13.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 021958 SEL2 SPC WW 021955 NCZ000-CWZ000-030100- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 212 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 355 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 400 PM UNTIL 900 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 30 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 130 MILES WEST OF ELIZABETH CITY NORTH CAROLINA TO 35 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF ELIZABETH CITY NORTH CAROLINA. 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 207...WW 208...WW 209...WW 210...WW 211... DISCUSSION...HP-SUPERCELL IS MOVING SOUTHEAST OUT OF S-CENTRAL VA ATTM. THIS SUPERCELL EARLIER PRODUCED A TORNADO AND WILL MOVE INTO NERN NC OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. TORNADOES...VERY LARGE HAIL...AND VERY STRONG/DAMAGING WINDS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035. ...EVANS 353,0753 354,0783 364,0783 363,0753 WWUS20 KWNS 021958 SEL2 SPC WW 021955 NCZ000-CWZ000-030100- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 212 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 355 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 400 PM UNTIL 900 PM EDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 30 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 130 MILES WEST OF ELIZABETH CITY NORTH CAROLINA TO 35 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF ELIZABETH CITY NORTH CAROLINA. 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 207...WW 208...WW 209...WW 210...WW 211... DISCUSSION...HP-SUPERCELL IS MOVING SOUTHEAST OUT OF S-CENTRAL VA ATTM. THIS SUPERCELL EARLIER PRODUCED A TORNADO AND WILL MOVE INTO NERN NC OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. TORNADOES...VERY LARGE HAIL...AND VERY STRONG/DAMAGING WINDS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035. ...EVANS 353,0753 354,0783 364,0783 363,0753
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 1, 11:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Cabarrus, Caldwell and 12 more | 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, 4:30 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
Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2002Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2002Every tornado 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.