Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 23, 2005Forsyth County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 23, 2005, 5:02 PM EST for Forsyth County, North Carolina. It was in force for 43 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: Mar 23, 2005, 5:02 PM EST (22:02 UTC)
Expired: Mar 23, 2005, 5:45 PM EST
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Forsyth County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:05 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 48 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 381 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 518 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KRAH 232202
TORRAH
NCC067-232245-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0002.050323T2202Z-050323T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
502 PM EST WED MAR 23 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  FORSYTH COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 545 PM EST

* AT 459 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER WEST BEND...OR ABOUT 12 MILES WEST OF WINSTON-SALEM.
  MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  TOBACCOVILLE...
  PFAFFTOWN...STANLEYVILLE...
  WINSTON-SALEM...
  SMITH-REYNOLDS AIRPORT...
  SEDGE GARDEN...WALKERTOWN...
  KERNERSVILLE...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE
BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET OR BATHROOM.
USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS AND EXTERIOR WALLS.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF A TORNADO...LARGE HAIL AND DEADLY 
LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. GO TO A SAFE PLACE NOW

LAT...LON 3629 8066 3611 8070 3602 8005 3623 8003

$$

DGS

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS52 KRAH 232216
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
515 PM EST WED MAR 23 2005

NCC067-232245-
/O.CON.KRAH.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050323T2245Z/
FORSYTH NC-
515 PM EST WED MAR 23 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 545 PM EST FOR FORSYTH COUNTY...

AT 512 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PFAFFTOWN...OR
ABOUT 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF WINSTON-SALEM...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PFAFFTOWN AND TOBACCOVILLE BY 510 PM EST
  STANLEYVILLE...RURAL HALL AND NORTH WINSTON-SALEM BY 515 PM EST   
  WALKERTOWN AND DENNIS BY 525 PM EST
  KERNERSVILLE BY 535 PM EST

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

QUARTER SIED HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED IN TOBACCOVILLE AND LEWISVILLE.

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 3629 8066 3611 8070 3602 8005 3623 8003

$$

DGS

000 
WWUS52 KRAH 232244
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
543 PM EST WED MAR 23 2005

NCC067-232253-
/O.EXP.KRAH.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-050323T2245Z/
FORSYTH NC-
543 PM EST WED MAR 23 2005

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR FORSYTH COUNTY EXPIRES AT 545 PM EST...

THE STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS GUILFORD COUNTY THROUGH 630 PM. DANGEROUS 
LIGHTNING WILL REMAIN A THREAT IN FORSYTH COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3629 8066 3611 8070 3602 8005 3623 8003

$$

DGS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Raleigh, NC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 23, 4:52 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Forsyth	53 min
Mar 23, 5:33 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RAH	Guilford	57 min

Nearby

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