Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

April 16, 2011Davie County, Rowan County, North Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 2011, 12:40 PM EDT for Davie County, Rowan County, North Carolina. It was in force for 18 min. 4 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 16, 2011, 12:40 PM EDT (16:40 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 2011, 12:58 PM EDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Davie County, NC, Rowan County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 136 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:44 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
Apr 16, 12:41 PM EDTTORNADO4 Nnw Salisbury, NCEF1 TORNADO CONFIRMED 4.5 NNW TO 6.5 N OF SALISBURY.
Apr 16, 12:45 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG1 N Salisbury, NCTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
Apr 16, 12:45 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 N Salisbury, NCESTIMATES OF UP TO 200 TREES BLOWN DOWN IN A SWATH ALONG HIGHWAY 601 NORTH OF SALISBURY. THIS AREA WILL BE SURVEYED FOR POSSIBLE TORNADO ON SUNDAY.
Apr 16, 12:45 PM EDTTORNADO5 Ese Cooleemee, NCEF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED 5.5 MILES ESE OF COOLEEMEE 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 16, 5:57 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 57 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 2011-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2011-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 605 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
516 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
605 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
909 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.

698 
WFUS52 KGSP 161640
TORGSP
NCC059-159-161715-
/O.NEW.KGSP.TO.W.0018.110416T1640Z-110416T1715Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1240 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN DAVIE COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...
  NORTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 115 PM EDT

* AT 1238 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER CENTRAL
  ROWAN COUNTY...OR 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF SALISBURY...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL MAINLY AFFECT LOCATIONS EAST OF WOODLEAF AND EAST 
OF COOLEEMEE. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR STURDIER SHELTER.
OTHERWISE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME
OR PLACE OF BUSINESS. MAKE SURE THERE ARE AS MANY WALLS AND FLOORS
BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.

TO REPORT TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...OR FLOODING...
THROUGH OUR AUTOMATED REPORTING SYSTEM...CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER...
1 8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.

&&

LAT...LON 3588 8037 3588 8041 3585 8038 3582 8047
      3579 8047 3577 8045 3574 8045 3572 8039
      3565 8054 3575 8061 3593 8037 3589 8036
TIME...MOT...LOC 1640Z 231DEG 49KT 3574 8050

$$
LANE
2 follow-up statements
794 
WWUS52 KGSP 161651
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1251 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

NCC159-161700-
/O.CAN.KGSP.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110416T1715Z/
ROWAN NC-
1251 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL ROWAN COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE CIRCULATION HAS MOVED INTO DAVIDSON COUNTY. 

LAT...LON 3584 8049 3593 8037 3589 8036 3588 8037
      3588 8041 3585 8038 3582 8047
TIME...MOT...LOC 1650Z 218DEG 37KT 3581 8043

$$

NCC059-161715-
/O.CON.KGSP.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110416T1715Z/
DAVIE NC-
1251 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 115 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN DAVIE COUNTY...

AT 1249 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER EXTREME WEST
CENTRAL DAVIDSON COUNTY...OR 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MOCKSVILLE...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE AREAS SOUTHEAST OF ADVANCE. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR STURDIER SHELTER.
OTHERWISE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME
OR PLACE OF BUSINESS. MAKE SURE THERE ARE AS MANY WALLS AND FLOORS
BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.

&&

LAT...LON 3584 8049 3593 8037 3589 8036 3588 8037
      3588 8041 3585 8038 3582 8047
TIME...MOT...LOC 1650Z 218DEG 37KT 3581 8043

$$
LANE
200 
WWUS52 KGSP 161658
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1258 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

NCC059-161708-
/O.CAN.KGSP.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110416T1715Z/
DAVIE NC-
1258 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN DAVIE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA.

LAT...LON 3584 8049 3593 8037 3589 8036 3588 8037
      3588 8041 3585 8038 3582 8047
TIME...MOT...LOC 1658Z 218DEG 37KT 3587 8037

$$

ARK

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 4:20 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPHenderson6 hr
Apr 16, 4:54 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPTransylvania6 hr
Apr 16, 7:23 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningGSPHenderson, Transylvania60 hr
Apr 16, 7:37 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGSPAvery, Mitchell, Yancey4 hr
Apr 16, 8:35 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPAvery, Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey6 hr
Apr 16, 9:48 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningGSPHenderson, Transylvania6 hr
Apr 16, 10:23 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPCleveland37 min
Apr 16, 11:01 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPCatawba, Gaston, Lincoln29 min
Apr 16, 11:31 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPAlexander, Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg29 min
Apr 16, 11:50 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus, Davie, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg and 1 more40 min
Apr 16, 11:59 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPMecklenburg, Union46 min
Apr 16, 12:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPCabarrus, Davie, Rowan45 min
Apr 16, 12:46 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPUnion44 min
Apr 16, 1:00 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPUnion26 min
Apr 16, 2:16 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell6 hr
Apr 16, 3:31 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGSPHenderson, Transylvania119 min
Apr 16, 3:52 PM EDTLake Wind AdvisoryGSPAlexander, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell and 22 more14 hr
Apr 16, 3:52 PM EDTWind AdvisoryGSPAlexander, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell and 22 more4 hr
Apr 16, 7:53 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell6 hr

Nearby

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