Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Raleigh, NC

July 17, 2009Harnett County, Johnston County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Jul 17, 2009, 6:33 PM EDT for Harnett County, Johnston County, North Carolina. It was in force for 27 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
Jul 17, 2009, 6:33 PM EDT (22:33 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 2009, 7:00 PM EDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Harnett County, NC, Johnston County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 31 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:35 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
Jul 17, 6:50 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG4 E Benson, NCREPORT OF A TREE UPROOTED...28 INCHES IN DIAMETER...ALONG ALLENS CROSSROAD 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 17, 2:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 2009-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1664 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2009-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1664 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
866 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KRAH 172233
TORRAH
NCC085-101-172300-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0021.090717T2233Z-090717T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
633 PM EDT FRI JUL 17 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL HARNETT COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHERN JOHNSTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 700 PM EDT

* AT 632 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER COATS...OR 7 MILES EAST OF LILLINGTON...MOVING EAST AT
  40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  BENSON...
  FOUR OAKS...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM IS PRODUCING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF
LIGHTNING. SEEK SHELTER INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS. DO
NOT USE THE TELEPHONE UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY.

&&

LAT...LON 3536 7875 3549 7874 3550 7825 3530 7829
      3529 7831
TIME...MOT...LOC 2233Z 270DEG 36KT 3539 7868

$$

BADGETT/MWS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 1:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHAlamance, Orange, Person35 min
Jul 17, 1:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Granville, Orange, Person35 min
Jul 17, 2:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax, Warren46 min
Jul 17, 2:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHNash51 min
Jul 17, 3:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDavidson, Guilford, Randolph32 min
Jul 17, 3:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHalifax46 min
Jul 17, 3:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHWayne, Wilson38 min
Jul 17, 3:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHNash50 min
Jul 17, 4:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHMontgomery29 min
Jul 17, 5:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston, Wake50 min
Jul 17, 5:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston, Nash, Wilson68 min
Jul 17, 6:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHHarnett, Johnston50 min
Jul 17, 6:44 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHHarnett, Johnston16 min
Jul 17, 6:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland, Johnston, Sampson48 min
Jul 17, 7:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHJohnston, Sampson, Wayne44 min
Jul 17, 7:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHCumberland, Hoke56 min
Jul 17, 7:59 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRAHCumberland3 hr

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.