Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 9, 2003Granville County, Vance County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at May 9, 2003, 5:39 PM EDT for Granville County, Vance County, North Carolina. It was in force for 36 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 9, 2003, 5:39 PM EDT (21:39 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2003, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Granville County, NC, Vance County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:42 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 9, 4:15 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 119 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 59 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, Roanoke, VA at 12:00Z on 2003-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 153 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
59 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-186 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
982 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
153 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
199 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

885 
WFUS52 KRAH 092139
TORRAH
NCC077-181-092215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
539 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  VANCE COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHEASTERN GRANVILLE COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT

* AT 539 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF TUNGSTEN...OR ABOUT 18 MILES NORTH OF
  OXFORD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  TUNGSTEN AROUND 550 PM
  BULLOCKSVILLE AND KERR LAKE AROUND 600 PM
  MIDDLEBURG AROUND 610 PM

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.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF A TORNADO...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM. GO TO A SAFE PLACE NOW

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING
FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3670 7861 3657 7875 3620 7839 3627 7828
          3651 7831

$$

DGS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville, Vance37 min
May 9, 6:14 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHVance31 min
May 9, 6:17 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHWarren28 min
May 9, 6:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville25 min
May 9, 6:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHFranklin31 min
May 9, 6:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHVance21 min
May 9, 6:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHNash38 min
May 9, 6:58 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHFranklin, Vance32 min
May 9, 7:07 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHNash38 min
May 9, 7:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHEdgecombe54 min
May 9, 7:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHNash16 min
May 9, 7:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWilson37 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.