Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 4, 2008Alamance County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 4, 2008, 4:51 PM EST for Alamance County, North Carolina. It was in force for 9 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 4, 2008, 4:51 PM EST (21:51 UTC)
Expired: Mar 4, 2008, 5:00 PM EST
In force: 9 min
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Alamance County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:50 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 4, 4:54 PM EST	TORNADO 0	Ne Union Ridge, NC	SEVRAL STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED AND NUMEROUS TREES REPORTED DOWN NEAR WILLIE PACE RD NEAR UNION RIDGE... AND A BARN WAS DESTROYED NEAR VISON RD NEAR THE ALAMANCE/CASWELL COUNTY LINE. AN EF-0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN NORTHERN ALAMANCE COUNTY A HALF MILE SOUTH OF
Mar 4, 4:54 PM EST	TORNADO	3 S Jericho, NC	BARN DAMAGED, TREE ON HOME, DETACHED GARAGE BLOWN OFF FOUNDATION AND NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. EF-0 TORNADO ON THE GROUND FOR ONE HALF MILE WITH A 150 YARD WIDTH. WINDS IN THE 70 TO 75 MPH RANGE.
Mar 4, 4:55 PM EST	TSTM WND DMG	1 N Union Ridge, NC	SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN AND MINOR DAMAGE TO A RESIDENCE ON WILLIE PACE RD NEAR UNION RIDGE.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 4, 4:31 PM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 42 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: 76 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 281 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KRAH 042151
TORRAH
NCC001-042200-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0003.080304T2151Z-080304T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
451 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN ALAMANCE COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 500 PM EST

* AT 450 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER UNION RIDGE...OR ABOUT OVER JERICHO...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 50 MPH.

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

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT 
FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3620 7954 3624 7953 3624 7952 3626 7952
      3626 7945 3625 7943 3624 7929 3612 7937
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 208DEG 43KT 3624 7942

$$

GIH

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS52 KRAH 042158
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
458 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

NCC001-042208-
/O.EXP.KRAH.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080304T2200Z/
ALAMANCE NC-
458 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN ALAMANCE COUNTY EXPIRES AT
500 PM EST...

THE STORM HAS EXITED THE COUNTY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT FOR CENTRAL 
NORTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3620 7954 3624 7953 3624 7952 3626 7952
      3626 7945 3625 7943 3624 7929 3612 7937
TIME...MOT...LOC 2158Z 208DEG 43KT 3631 7937

$$

GIH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 4, 3:39 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Johnston	36 min
Mar 4, 4:04 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Guilford, Randolph	41 min
Mar 4, 4:34 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance	26 min
Mar 4, 5:15 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RAH	Person	15 min
Mar 4, 5:29 PM EST	Tornado Warning	RAH	Orange	31 min
Mar 4, 5:43 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Durham, Orange	34 min
Mar 4, 5:57 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Granville, Person	48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.