Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2004
Tornado Watch 340
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 30, 2004, 5:35 PM EDT for 25 counties in North Carolina; 8 counties in Tennessee; 5 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 30, 2004, 5:35 PM EDT (21:35 UTC)
- Expired
- May 30, 2004, 11:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 38 counties
Alexander County, NC, Alleghany County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Avery County, NC, Buncombe County, NC, Burke County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Cleveland County, NC, Davie County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, Madison County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Mecklenburg County, NC, Mitchell County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Surry County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Yancey County, NC, Carter County, TN, Cocke County, TN, Greene County, TN, Hawkins County, TN, Johnson County, TN, Sullivan County, TN, Unicoi County, TN, Washington County, TN, City of Bristol, VA, City of Norton, VA, Scott County, VA, Washington County, VA, Wise County, VA
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:38 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
3 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 5:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Yancey | 40 min |
| May 30, 6:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Burke, McDowell | 52 min |
| May 30, 7:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Burke | 42 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 190 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
- 708 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -15 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 510 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 113 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 129 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 302134
SEL0
SPC WW 302135
NCZ000-TNZ000-VAZ000-310300-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 340
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
535 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
NORTHEAST TENNESSEE
EXTREME SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 535 PM UNTIL 1100
PM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 65 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 50 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES WEST OF BRISTOL TENNESSEE TO 35 MILES
NORTHEAST OF CHARLOTTE 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 330...WW 331...WW 332...WW
333...WW 334...WW 335...WW 336...WW 337...WW 338...WW 339...
DISCUSSION...SUPERCELLS IN SE KY EXPECTED TO SPREAD ESE ALONG
DIFFUSE WARM FRONT LATER THIS EVENING...POSING A THREAT FOR
HAIL/HIGH WIND AND ISOLATED TORNADOES AS DEEP SHEAR INCREASES ACROSS
REGION.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 55 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 29025.
...CORFIDI
370,0824 361,0801 345,0804 354,0832SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 4:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett and 9 more | 5 hr |
| May 30, 12:50 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger and 13 more | 115 min |
| May 30, 3:44 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Lauderdale | 2 hr |
| May 30, 4:20 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer and 15 more | 8 hr |
| May 30, 6:10 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Tipton | 95 min |
| May 30, 2:40 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Lee | 7 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2004Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 2004Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2004Every tornado watch 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.