Alert archive / North Carolina / Mesoscale Discussions in 2004
Mesoscale Discussion 1978
The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 12, 2004, 5:55 PM EDT for 5 counties in North Carolina. It was in force for 65 min.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 12, 2004, 5:55 PM EDT (21:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 12, 2004, 7:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Brunswick County, NC, Carteret County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Onslow County, NC, Pender County, NC
The radar
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 19 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:58 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 159 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
- 926 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 584 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 39 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 57 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
624 ACUS11 KWNS 122155 SWOMCD SPC MCD 122155 NCZ000-SCZ000-122300- MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 1978 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 0455 PM CDT THU AUG 12 2004 AREAS AFFECTED...EXTREME SERN NC IN TORNADO WATCH 743 CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 743... VALID 122155Z - 122300Z TORNADO WATCH 743 EXPIRES AT 22Z AND WILL NOT BE REISSUED. HOWEVER...THE FORECAST OFFICE IN WILMINGTON NC WILL LIKELY LOCALLY EXTEND THE TORNADO WATCH FOR A FEW COUNTIES IN SERN NC FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. BANDS OF TSTMS CONTINUE TO TRANSLATE ENEWD ACROSS SERN NC AND WILL BE MOVING OFF THE COAST IN A COUPLE OF HOURS. SURFACE WINDS BEHIND THE LINES HAVE VEERED WEST OF INTERSTATE 40...BUT REMAIN SSELY ALONG THE COAST FROM WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH UP INTO THE MOREHEAD CITY AREA. ENHANCED LOW LEVEL SHEAR MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR AN ISOLD TORNADO AS THE STORMS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THE PRIMARY RISK OF TORNADOES...HOWEVER...SEEMS TO BE LOCATED FARTHER TO THE NORTH ACROSS NERN NC AND SERN VA WITHIN TORNADO WATCH 745. GIVEN THAT THE TORNADO THREAT AREA IS SMALL AND SHORT-LIVED ACROSS SERN NC...ANOTHER WW WILL NOT BE ISSUED...BUT RATHER LOCALLY EXTENDED BY THE WFO ILM. ..RACY.. 08/12/2004 ...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT... ATTN...WFO...MHX...RAH...ILM... 33437912 34937794 34847615 33417826 33407889
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 10:02 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bladen, Columbus, Pender, Robeson | 88 min |
| Aug 12, 11:45 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Anson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland and 12 more | 6 hr |
| Aug 12, 1:34 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Caswell, Chatham and 28 more | 86 min |
| Aug 12, 2:25 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alamance, Beaufort, Bertie, Cabarrus, Camden, Caswell and 39 more | 6 hr |
| Aug 12, 4:06 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden and 49 more | 84 min |
| Aug 12, 6:47 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates and 7 more | 58 min |
Nearby
Mesoscale Discussions in North Carolina, 2004Every mesoscale discussion 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.