Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 48, NWS Wakefield, VA

May 23, 2011Hertford County, North Carolina

NWS Wakefield, VA issued this tornado warning at May 23, 2011, 7:48 PM EDT for Hertford 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: May 23, 2011, 7:48 PM EDT (23:48 UTC)
Expired: May 23, 2011, 8:15 PM EDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Wakefield, VA
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Hertford County, NC

The radar

The Norfolk radar (KAKQ), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:51 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
May 23, 7:52 PM EDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	2 W Ahoskie, NC

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
May 23, 3:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 170 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: 1174 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 544 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

742 
WFUS51 KAKQ 232348
TORAKQ
NCC091-240015-
/O.NEW.KAKQ.TO.W.0048.110523T2348Z-110524T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
748 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL HERTFORD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 815 PM EDT

* AT 746 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MENOLA...OR 6 MILES NORTH OF AULANDER...AND
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF SOUTH
  CENTRAL HERTFORD COUNTY...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS POOR
  TOWN AND EARLEYS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE... OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3632 7697 3624 7702 3631 7714 3634 7712
TIME...MOT...LOC 2348Z 293DEG 9KT 3631 7709

$$

JM

2 follow-up statements

578 
WWUS51 KAKQ 232359
SVSAKQ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
759 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

NCC091-240015-
/O.CON.KAKQ.TO.W.0048.000000T0000Z-110524T0015Z/
HERTFORD NC-
759 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL HERTFORD
COUNTY UNTIL 815 PM EDT...

AT 757 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR UNION...OR NEAR AHOSKIE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
15 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  POOR TOWN AND EARLEYS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3628 7708 3631 7705 3629 7699 3624 7702
TIME...MOT...LOC 0000Z 309DEG 13KT 3628 7705

$$

JM

145 
WWUS51 KAKQ 240007
SVSAKQ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
807 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

NCC091-240017-
/O.EXP.KAKQ.TO.W.0048.000000T0000Z-110524T0015Z/
HERTFORD NC-
807 PM EDT MON MAY 23 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL HERTFORD COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 815 PM EDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED AND MOVED OUT OF
THE WARNED AREA.

LAT...LON 3628 7708 3631 7705 3629 7699 3624 7702
TIME...MOT...LOC 0007Z 309DEG 13KT 3626 7703

$$

JM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 23, 11:05 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	AKQ	Camden, Gates, Pasquotank	55 min
May 23, 6:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	38 min
May 23, 6:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	47 min
May 23, 6:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gates, Hertford, Northampton	40 min
May 23, 7:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Northampton	33 min
May 23, 7:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Gates, Hertford, Northampton	43 min
May 23, 7:31 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	AKQ	Bertie, Gates, Hertford, Northampton	59 min
May 23, 7:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	AKQ	Bertie	50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.