Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 27, 2009Johnston County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 2009, 6:56 PM EDT for Johnston 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, 6:56 PM EDT (22:56 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 2009, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Johnston County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:56 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, 7:24 PM EDTTORNADO3 Nw Four Oaks, NCSPOTTER REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND IN A FIELD FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES. DAMAGE TO TREES. NEAR HIGHWAY 210 AND DELL MEADOWS ROAD.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 2009-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 93 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 2009-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 70 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
93 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
543 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
70 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
78 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 KRAH 272256
TORRAH
NCC101-272345-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0007.090327T2256Z-090327T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
656 PM EDT FRI MAR 27 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 655 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FOUR OAKS...OR 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  SMITHFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

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

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.

LAT...LON 3527 7850 3528 7851 3529 7852 3553 7856
      3553 7823 3527 7844 3526 7848
TIME...MOT...LOC 2255Z 202DEG 14KT 3529 7849

$$

BADGETT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 5:34 AM EDTDense Fog AdvisoryRAHAlamance, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Granville and 10 more4 hr
Mar 27, 5:05 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHCumberland25 min
Mar 27, 5:08 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHCumberland, Sampson37 min
Mar 27, 5:28 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHCumberland47 min
Mar 27, 5:43 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHCumberland, Sampson32 min
Mar 27, 6:13 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHCumberland, Harnett, Johnston, Sampson51 min
Mar 27, 6:15 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHJohnston, Sampson, Wayne45 min
Mar 27, 7:16 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHJohnston, Wake31 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.