Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC

March 27, 2009Pitt County, North Carolina

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 2009, 5:56 PM EDT for Pitt County, North Carolina. It was in force for 49 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 27, 2009, 5:56 PM EDT (21:56 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 2009, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Pitt County, NC

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:56 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 27, 6:05 PM EDTTORNADOGreenville, NC911 CENTER REPORTED TORNADO ON FIRETOWER ROAD WITH DAMAGE REPORTED.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 102 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 2009-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 280 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, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2009-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 118 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
280 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
616 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
118 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 KMHX 272156
TORMHX
NCC147-272245-
/O.NEW.KMHX.TO.W.0002.090327T2156Z-090327T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
556 PM EDT FRI MAR 27 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PITT COUNTY IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...WINTERVILLE...GREENVILLE...

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 556 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  WINTERVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  GREENVILLE BY 605 PM EDT...
  HOUSE BY 615 PM EDT...
  STATON AND PACTOLUS BY 620 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3575 7741 3568 7719 3556 7722 3547 7730
      3549 7746
TIME...MOT...LOC 2156Z 204DEG 22KT 3554 7737

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KMHX 272213
SVSMHX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
613 PM EDT FRI MAR 27 2009

NCC147-272245-
/O.CON.KMHX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090327T2245Z/
PITT NC-
613 PM EDT FRI MAR 27 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR PITT
COUNTY...

AT 611 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO.  THIS 
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR FIRE TOWER RAOD IN GREENVILLE...MOVING 
NORTH AT 25 MPH. PERSONS IN AND NEAR GREENVILLE SHOULD SEEK SAFE 
SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. 

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  HOUSE AND 7 MILES WEST OF PACTOLUS BY 620 PM EDT...
  STATON BY 625 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3575 7741 3568 7719 3556 7722 3547 7730
      3549 7746
TIME...MOT...LOC 2211Z 198DEG 20KT 3560 7736

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 5:51 PM EDTTornado WarningMHXGreene24 min
Mar 27, 6:12 PM EDTTornado WarningMHXGreene, Pitt48 min
Mar 27, 6:59 PM EDTTornado WarningMHXPitt16 min

Nearby

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