Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Blacksburg, VA

March 4, 2008Caswell County, North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this tornado warning at Mar 4, 2008, 5:05 PM EST for Caswell County, North Carolina. It was in force for 25 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 4, 2008, 5:05 PM EST (22:05 UTC)
Expired: Mar 4, 2008, 5:30 PM EST
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Blacksburg, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Caswell County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:09 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.

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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 65 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 
WFUS51 KRNK 042205
TORRNK
NCC033-042230-
/O.NEW.KRNK.TO.W.0002.080304T2205Z-080304T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
505 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN CASWELL COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 530 PM EST.

* AT 501 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR BAYNES...OR
  NEAR JERICHO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HIGHTOWERS...
  HAMER...
  LEASBURG...
  SEMORA...

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.

PLEASE RELAY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3627 7916 3622 7924 3623 7926 3623 7929
      3633 7943 3653 7928 3654 7914
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 223DEG 38KT 3634 7926

$$

SK

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS51 KRNK 042229
SVSRNK

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
528 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

NCC033-042238-
/O.EXP.KRNK.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-080304T2230Z/
CASWELL NC-
528 PM EST TUE MAR 4 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN CASWELL COUNTY EXPIRES AT 530
PM EST...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAS MOVED NORTHEAST OUT 
OF THE COUNTY. THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 
530 PM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. IF A TORNADO
IS SPOTTED... ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A STURDY
STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...PLEASE CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG AT...1...8 6 6...2 1 5...4 3 2 4.

LAT...LON 3627 7916 3622 7924 3623 7926 3623 7929
      3633 7943 3653 7928 3654 7914
TIME...MOT...LOC 2228Z 223DEG 38KT 3652 7905

$$

SK

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 4, 1:05 PM EST	Flood Watch	RNK	Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga	10 hr
Mar 4, 3:46 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Rockingham, Stokes	44 min
Mar 4, 4:52 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RNK	Caswell	38 min
Mar 4, 5:36 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	RNK	Watauga	4 hr

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.