Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Wilmington, NC

April 6, 2009Bladen County, Columbus County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at Apr 6, 2009, 10:32 AM EDT for Bladen County, Columbus County, North Carolina. It was in force for 28 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: Apr 6, 2009, 10:32 AM EDT (14:32 UTC)
Expired: Apr 6, 2009, 11:00 AM EDT
In force: 28 min
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Bladen County, NC, Columbus County, NC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:34 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
Apr 6, 10:35 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 Se Clarkton, NC	ONE HOUSE SHIFTED FROM FOUNDATION. DAMAGE TO OTHER HOMES IN THE AREA...EXTENT UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. DAMAGED STRUCTURES WERE ON PORTERSVILLE SCHOOL RD AND FARMERS UNION RD.
Apr 6, 10:40 AM EDT	TORNADO 2	5 Se Clarkton, NC	ONE HOUSE SHIFTED FROM FOUNDATION. DAMAGE TO OTHER HOMES IN THE AREA. WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED AT 115 MPH.
Apr 6, 10:43 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	6 Se Clarkton, NC	NUMEROUS LARGE LIMBS DOWN AND THREE MEDIUM ORNAMENTAL TREES WERE UPROOTED. SHINGLES RIPPED OFF THE ROOF OF A HOUSE ALONG SUSIE BALDWIN ROAD.

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
Apr 6, 7:07 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 140 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: 1894 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 462 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 337 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 342 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 4.4
Supercell composite: 17.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KILM 061432
TORILM
NCC017-047-061500-
/O.NEW.KILM.TO.W.0003.090406T1432Z-090406T1500Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1032 AM EDT MON APR 6 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1100 AM EDT

* AT 1030 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR ELKTON...OR
  ABOUT 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF WHITEVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   LISBON BY 1040 AM...
   LAGOON BY 1045 AM...
   KELLY BY 1050 AM...
   ROWAN BY 1055 AM...

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

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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 100 PM EDT MONDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3472 7838 3463 7831 3462 7831 3455 7825
      3454 7826 3451 7826 3447 7820 3445 7819
      3429 7877 3447 7889 3474 7839
TIME...MOT...LOC 1431Z 238DEG 44KT 3445 7860

$$


15

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS52 KILM 061455
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1055 AM EDT MON APR 6 2009

NCC017-047-061505-
/O.EXP.KILM.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-090406T1500Z/
COLUMBUS NC-BLADEN NC-
1055 AM EDT MON APR 6 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN BLADEN AND NORTH CENTRAL COLUMBUS
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 1100 AM EDT...

AT 1054 AM EDT...THE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO
WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED...THUS THE TORNADO WARNING 
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM EDT MONDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3472 7838 3463 7831 3462 7831 3455 7825
      3454 7826 3451 7826 3447 7820 3445 7819
      3429 7877 3447 7889 3474 7839
TIME...MOT...LOC 1455Z 238DEG 44KT 3460 7830

$$

15

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 6, 9:55 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Bladen, Columbus, Robeson	65 min
Apr 6, 10:32 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Columbus	43 min
Apr 6, 11:51 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Brunswick	24 min
Apr 6, 3:27 PM EDT	Freeze Watch	ILM	Bladen, Columbus, Robeson	24 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

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.