Alert archive / North Carolina / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003
Mesoscale Discussion 307
The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 20, 2003, 12:52 PM EST for 13 counties in North Carolina. It was in force for 113 min.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 20, 2003, 12:52 PM EST (17:52 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 20, 2003, 2:45 PM EST
- In force
- 113 min
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Beaufort County, NC, Bertie County, NC, Brunswick County, NC, Chowan County, NC, Craven County, NC, Jones County, NC, Martin County, NC, Onslow County, NC, Pender County, NC, Perquimans County, NC, Pitt County, NC, Tyrrell County, NC, Washington County, NC
The radar
The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:56 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 nearest sounding before it
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 60 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
- 52 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -94 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 707 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 65 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 262 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 396 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
651 ACUS11 KWNS 201752 SWOMCD SPC MCD 201752 NCZ000-201945- MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0307 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1152 AM CST THU MAR 20 2003 AREAS AFFECTED...ERN NC CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 66... VALID 201752Z - 201945Z STRONGER MID/UPPER FORCING FOR UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION IS SHIFTING ACROSS EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...ON TAIL END OF SHORT WAVE TROUGH WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT INTO THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. BROAD AREA OF RAIN DEVELOPING NORTH/ NORTHEASTWARD OF MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EMBEDDED WITHIN CONVECTIVE SYSTEM HAS OVERSPREAD MUCH OF REMAINING VALID PORTION OF WW 66. RESULTANT STABILIZATION OF BOUNDARY LAYER IS DIMINISHING THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS. GUSTY WINDS STILL APPEAR POSSIBLE ANOTHER HOUR OR TWO WITH BROAD CIRCULATION EVIDENT IN RADAR DATA NORTH/NORTHEAST OF WILMINGTON...AS IT CONTINUES MIGRATING INTO NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. SMALLER-SCALE CIRCULATION EMBEDDED WITH BOWING LINE SEGMENT SOUTH OF WILMINGTON SHOULD PROGRESS OFFSHORE WITHIN THE HOUR. ..KERR.. 03/20/2003 ...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT... ATTN...WFO...AKQ...MHX...ILM... 33917836 34437808 35037765 35687735 36097703 36237612 36097568
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2:16 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bladen, Columbus, Pender | 119 min |
| Mar 20, 5:48 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus | 117 min |
| Mar 20, 10:10 AM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven and 10 more | 5 hr |
| Mar 20, 10:40 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Bladen, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Greene and 10 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Mesoscale Discussions in North Carolina, 2003Every mesoscale discussion 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.