Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 4, 2008Orange County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 4, 2008, 5:29 PM EST for Orange County, North Carolina. It was in force for 31 min. 1 report 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, 5:29 PM EST (22:29 UTC)
Expired
Mar 4, 2008, 6:00 PM EST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Orange County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:31 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 4, 6:00 PM ESTTSTM WND DMG5 Wsw Rougemont, NCTHREE TREES REPORTED DOWN JUST TO THE NORTH OF NC HWY 157 ON NC HWY 57... NEAR CALDWELL.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 4, 4:31 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 69 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2008-03-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 76 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2008-03-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 281 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
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 042229
TORRAH
NCC135-042300-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0005.080304T2229Z-080304T2300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 600 PM EST

* AT 527 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER EFLAND...OR ABOUT 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HILLSBOROUGH...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HILLSBOROUGH...
  SCHLEY...

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 3599 7922 3602 7926 3617 7926 3625 7921
      3623 7915 3623 7895 3618 7897 3617 7900
      3612 7904 3599 7918
TIME...MOT...LOC 2229Z 208DEG 45KT 3605 7920

$$

GIH
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KRAH 042249
SVSRAH

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

NCC135-042300-
/O.CON.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-080304T2300Z/
ORANGE NC-
549 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM EST FOR NORTHERN
ORANGE COUNTY...

AT 545 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR 
SCHLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

WHILE THIS STORM HAS WEAKENED SLIGHTLY... IT MAY STILL BE CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING A TORNADO AS IT MOVES THROUGH NORTHEAST ORANGE COUNTY.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE 
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. 

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

LAT...LON 3599 7922 3602 7926 3617 7926 3625 7921
      3623 7915 3623 7895 3618 7897 3617 7900
      3612 7904 3599 7918
TIME...MOT...LOC 2249Z 208DEG 45KT 3619 7905

$$

GIH
000 
WWUS52 KRAH 042259
SVSRAH

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

NCC135-042308-
/O.EXP.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-080304T2300Z/
ORANGE NC-
558 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY EXPIRES AT 600 PM
EST...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING IS MOVING OUT OF ORANGE COUNTY 
INTO PERSON COUNTY...THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS STORM IN 
PERSON AND GRANVILLE COUNTIES UNTIL 645 PM. 

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

LAT...LON 3599 7922 3602 7926 3617 7926 3625 7921
      3623 7915 3623 7895 3618 7897 3617 7900
      3612 7904 3599 7918
TIME...MOT...LOC 2258Z 218DEG 43KT 3625 7896

$$

VINCENT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 4, 3:39 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston36 min
Mar 4, 4:04 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGuilford, Randolph41 min
Mar 4, 4:34 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHAlamance26 min
Mar 4, 4:51 PM ESTTornado WarningRAHAlamance9 min
Mar 4, 5:15 PM ESTTornado WarningRAHPerson15 min
Mar 4, 5:43 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Orange34 min
Mar 4, 5:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville, Person48 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.