Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC

April 13, 2004Onslow County, North Carolina

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 13, 2004, 11:49 AM EDT for Onslow County, North Carolina. It was in force for 41 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
Apr 13, 2004, 11:49 AM EDT (15:49 UTC)
Expired
Apr 13, 2004, 12:30 PM EDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Onslow County, NC

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:49 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 13, 10:35 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 3.8 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2004-04-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1252 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, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2004-04-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 159 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
1252 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
594 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
159 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
5.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

803 
WUUS52 KMHX 131549
SVRMHX
NCC133-131630-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
1148 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT
HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ONSLOW COUNTY IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1230 PM EDT

* AT 1144 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
  OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTH OF NORTH TOPSAIL
  BEACH...AND MOVING NORTH AT 50 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FOLKSTONE AROUND 1155 AM EDT...
  SNEADS FERRY AND DIXON AROUND NOON EDT...
  CAMP LEJEUNE AND NEW RIVER AIR STATION AROUND 1210 PM EDT...
  JACKSONVILLE AND PINEY GREEN AROUND 1215 PM EDT...
  HALF MOON AROUND 1220 PM EDT...

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...TAKE COVER IN A STURDY
STRUCTURE UNTIL IT PASSES.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOS WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.
IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY
IN A STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3434 7759 3431 7738 3484 7722 3487 7753

$$

12

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 13, 9:29 AM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 13, 9:29 AM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
930 AM TUE APR 13 2004

WE ARE ALREADY TO FCST VALUES NEAR THE COAST AND ANY PEAKS OF
SUNSHINE WILL GIVE US 75-80. THIS MORNINGS MODIFIED SOUNDING USING
77/69 IS RATHER TROUBLESOME WITH CAPE OVER 3000 J/KG, LI OF -9,
TOTALS 48, AND WBZ 10.5 K FT. WE WILL BE TAKING AN 18Z SOUNDING
TODAY BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL OF SVR WX AND HAVE NOTIFIED SPC.
WIDESPREAD SHRA/TSTMS SHOWN ON RADAR WILL BE MOVING INTO TO OUR CWA
BY 11 AM FROM THE S-SW. WILL MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS MAINLY TO TEMPS.

.MARINE...WINDS ARE A LIGHTER THAN FCST BUT EXPECT THEM TO INCREASE
TO FCST VALUES BY NOON OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. NO MAJOR CHANGES WILL
BE MADE TO CURRENT FCST.

...HIGH RIP CURRENT THREAT TODAY...

THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS 20-25KT AND 9 SEC 10FT SEAS WILL
PRODUCE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS TODAY ALONG AREA BEACHES.

.MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...SCA ALL COASTAL WATERS AND SOUNDS. HIGH RIP CURRENT THREAT FOR
ALL WATERS.

WS
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 13, 5:03 AM EDT, 6 hours 46 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
503 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

NCZ029-044>047-079>081-090>095-098-103-104-140901-
BEAUFORT NC-CARTERET NC-CRAVEN NC-DUPLIN NC-GREENE NC-JONES NC-
LENOIR NC-MAINLAND DARE NC-MAINLAND HYDE NC-MARTIN NC-ONSLOW NC-
OUTER BANKS DARE NC-OUTER BANKS HYDE NC-PAMLICO NC-PITT NC-
TYRRELL NC-WASHINGTON NC-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ATLANTIC BEACH...BAYBORO...BEAUFORT...
BELHAVEN...BEULAVILLE...BUXTON...CEDAR ISLAND...COLUMBIA...DUCK...
EMERALD ISLE...ENGELHARD...FRISCO...GREENVILLE...HARKERS ISLAND...
HATTERAS VILLAGE...HAVELOCK...JACKSONVILLE...KENANSVILLE...
KILL DEVIL HILLS...KINSTON...KITTY HAWK...LA GRANGE...MANNS HARBOR...
MANTEO...MOREHEAD CITY...NAGS HEAD...NEW BERN...
NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH...OCRACOKE...ORIENTAL...PLYMOUTH...SNOW HILL...
SWANQUARTER...SWANSBORO...TRENTON...WALLACE...WARSAW...
WASHINGTON AND WILLIAMSTON
503 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA TODAY. SOME
STORMS COULD BE SEVERE PRODUCING LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE WITH
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS.

THERE IS A HIGH THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG AREA BEACHES TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

JAC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 13, 11:38 AM EDT, 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
1138 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

NCZ095-098-131700-
CARTERET-ONSLOW-
1138 AM EDT TUE APR 13 2004

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTIES
UNTIL 100 PM EDT...

AT 1137 AM EDT...THERE WERE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY
RAIN OVER THE COASTAL WATERS SOUTH OF ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTIES.
THESE STORMS ARE MOVING RAPIDLY NORTH AND WILL AFFECT CARTERET AND
ONSLOW COUNTIES THROUGH 100 PM. LOCATIONS TO BE AFFECTED BY THE
STORMS INCLUDE ATLANTIC BEACH...BEAUFORT...MOREHEAD
CITY...SWANSBORO...JACKSONVILLE AND SNEEDS FERRY.

WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. HEAVY
RAINFALL WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND LOCALIZED
FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. MOTORISTS SHOULD SLOW DOWN ON AREA
ROADWAYS TO AVOID HYDROPLANING.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM EDT TUESDAY AFTERNOON
FOR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
FURTHER UPDATES ON THE WEATHER SITUATION ACROSS THE AREA.

12

The office that day

Everything else NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 13, 2:00 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningMHX60 min
Apr 13, 2:00 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningMHX60 min
Apr 13, 2:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMHXCarteret40 min
Apr 13, 2:25 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningMHX65 min
Apr 13, 2:27 PM EDTTornado WarningMHXCarteret33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2004Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2004

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.