Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Wilmington, NC

March 15, 2008Bladen County, Columbus County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 15, 2008, 6:45 PM EDT for Bladen County, Columbus County, North Carolina. It was in force for 30 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 15, 2008, 6:45 PM EDT (22:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 15, 2008, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Bladen County, NC, Columbus County, NC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:45 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 15, 4:36 PM EDTTornado Watch PDSSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 2008-03-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2008-03-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 50 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
992 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
115 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 152246
TORILM
NCC017-047-152315-
/O.NEW.KILM.TO.W.0008.080315T2245Z-080315T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
645 PM EDT SAT MAR 15 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BLADEN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN COLUMBUS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 645 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
  A POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES 
  SOUTH OF ABBOTTSBURG...OR ABOUT 7 MILES NORTH OF 
  WHITEVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   LISBON BY 650 PM...
   COUNCIL BY 655 PM...
   CARVERS BY 700 PM...
   KELLY BY 705 PM...
   ROWAN BY 710 PM...

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

GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. 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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR
SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3474 7839 3456 7828 3451 7825 3440 7825
      3436 7834 3438 7847 3442 7853 3443 7878
      3451 7881
TIME...MOT...LOC 2245Z 259DEG 46KT 3444 7863

$$

HAWKINS
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KILM 152316
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
716 PM EDT SAT MAR 15 2008

NCC017-047-152326-
/O.EXP.KILM.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-080315T2315Z/
COLUMBUS NC-BLADEN NC-
716 PM EDT SAT MAR 15 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN BLADEN AND NORTH CENTRAL COLUMBUS
COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

AT 713 PM EDT...THE TORNADO WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT
OF THE WARNED AREA...THUS THE TORNADO WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR
SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3474 7839 3456 7828 3451 7825 3440 7825
      3436 7834 3438 7847 3442 7853 3443 7878
      3451 7881
TIME...MOT...LOC 2245Z 259DEG 46KT 3444 7863

$$
DCH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 15, 5:40 PM EDTTornado WarningILMRobeson35 min
Mar 15, 6:09 PM EDTTornado WarningILMColumbus51 min
Mar 15, 6:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMRobeson47 min
Mar 15, 6:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMRobeson35 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender59 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDTTornado WarningILMColumbus44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

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.