Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Wilmington, NC

May 20, 2005Columbus County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at May 20, 2005, 6:17 PM EDT for Columbus County, North Carolina. It was in force for 28 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 20, 2005, 6:17 PM EDT (22:17 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2005, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Columbus County, NC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:19 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, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 2005-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 91 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2005-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 97 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
91 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
781 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
139 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.

000 
WFUS52 KILM 202217
TORILM
NCC047-202245-
/O.NEW.KILM.TO.W.0002.050520T2217Z-050520T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
617 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  COLUMBUS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 615 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 20 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF LAKE WACCAMAW...OR 15 MILES SOUTH OF WHITEVILLE...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   LAKE WACCAMAW BY 640 PM...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER 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.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

IF YOU OBSERVED SEVERE WEATHER OR WEATHER RELATED DAMAGE...REPORT IT
TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY THE
REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN WILMINGTON
NC.

LAT...LON 3416 7889 3403 7874 3429 7833 3439 7850

$$

TRA
3 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KILM 202225
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
625 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

NCC047-202245-
/O.CON.KILM.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050520T2245Z/
COLUMBUS NC-
625 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR COLUMBUS
COUNTY...

AT 619 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
LAKE WACCAMAW...OR 13 MILES SOUTH OF WHITEVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
45 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
   NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY 130 AT 630 PM
   LAKE WACCAMAW BY 640 PM
   BOLTON BY 645 PM

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING  
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. 

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER 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.

LAT...LON 3417 7883 3406 7873 3429 7833 3439 7850

$$

TRA
000 
WWUS52 KILM 202235
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
635 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

NCC047-202245-
/O.CON.KILM.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050520T2245Z/
COLUMBUS NC-
635 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR COLUMBUS
COUNTY...

AT 632 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES THE 
TORNADO MAY HAVE DISSIPATED BEFORE REACHING STATE HIGHWAY 130... 
HOWEVER THIS TORNADO MAY REFORM AT ANY TIME.  THIS LOCATION IS 
LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LAKE WACCAMAW...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST 
OF WHITEVILLE.

THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
   LAKE WACCAMAW BY 645 PM

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THE STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 
AROUND 45 MPH.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER 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.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3422 7874 3413 7861 3431 7836 3441 7853

$$

TRA
000 
WWUS52 KILM 202245
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
645 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

NCC047-202254-
/O.EXP.KILM.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050520T2245Z/
COLUMBUS NC-
645 PM EDT FRI MAY 20 2005

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR COLUMBUS COUNTY EXPIRED AT 645 PM EDT...

AT 645 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE 
TORNADO WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS DISSIPATED. THEREFORE...THE 
WARNING 
HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS COLUMBUS 
COUNTY...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS. NO 
FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED HOWEVER.

IF YOU OBSERVED SEVERE WEATHER OR WEATHER RELATED DAMAGE...REPORT IT
TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY THE 
REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3422 7874 3413 7861 3431 7836 3441 7853

$$

TRA

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2005Every tornado warning in 2005Tornadoes in 2005

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.