Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Wilmington, NC

August 21, 2011Bladen County, Columbus County, Robeson County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at Aug 21, 2011, 5:16 PM EDT for Bladen County, Columbus County, Robeson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 29 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
Aug 21, 2011, 5:16 PM EDT (21:16 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2011, 5:45 PM EDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Bladen County, NC, Columbus County, NC, Robeson County, NC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:19 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
Aug 21, 5:27 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Wnw Bladenboro, NC

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, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 2011-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1537 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 2011-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
1537 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
811 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
29 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.

558 
WFUS52 KILM 212116
TORILM
NCC017-047-155-212145-
/O.NEW.KILM.TO.W.0029.110821T2116Z-110821T2145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
516 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN BLADEN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN COLUMBUS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA
  EASTERN ROBESON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 545 PM EDT

* AT 514 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES WEST OF
  BLADENBORO...OR ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LUMBERTON...MOVING EAST
  AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
   BLADENBORO...
   ABBOTTSBURG...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF 
BALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

GET UNDER A TABLE OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. 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.

&&

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3455 7859 3441 7871 3454 7898 3458 7894
TIME...MOT...LOC 2116Z 287DEG 27KT 3455 7894

$$

III
2 follow-up statements
801 
WWUS52 KILM 212132
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
532 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

NCC017-047-155-212145-
/O.CON.KILM.TO.W.0029.000000T0000Z-110821T2145Z/
ROBESON NC-COLUMBUS NC-BLADEN NC-
532 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM EDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL BLADEN...EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL COLUMBUS AND EAST CENTRAL
ROBESON COUNTIES...

AT 528 PM EDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD WEST 
OF BLADENBORO...OR 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LUMBERTON...MOVING 
SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ABBOTTSBURG
AND CLARKTON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

&&

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3455 7859 3441 7871 3454 7898 3458 7894
TIME...MOT...LOC 2132Z 294DEG 32KT 3452 7884

$$

III
431 
WWUS52 KILM 212140
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
540 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

NCC017-047-155-212150-
/O.EXP.KILM.TO.W.0029.000000T0000Z-110821T2145Z/
ROBESON NC-COLUMBUS NC-BLADEN NC-
540 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL BLADEN...EXTREME NORTH
CENTRAL COLUMBUS AND EAST CENTRAL ROBESON COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 545
PM EDT...

AT 537 PM EDT...THE TORNADO WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS
DISSIPATED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3455 7859 3441 7871 3454 7898 3458 7894
TIME...MOT...LOC 2140Z 294DEG 32KT 3449 7876

$$

III

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 2:29 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementILMBrunswick61 min
Aug 21, 2:46 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementILMRobeson29 min
Aug 21, 4:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMRobeson61 min
Aug 21, 5:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBladen, Columbus, Robeson58 min
Aug 21, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMColumbus, Robeson51 min
Aug 21, 6:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMColumbus46 min
Aug 21, 7:11 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementILMBrunswick49 min
Aug 21, 7:59 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementILMNew Hanover31 min

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.