Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC

May 9, 2012Jones County, Lenoir County, North Carolina

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued this tornado warning at May 9, 2012, 6:19 PM EDT for Jones County, Lenoir County, North Carolina. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 9, 2012, 6:19 PM EDT (22:19 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2012, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Jones County, NC, Lenoir County, NC

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:19 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 73 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 2012-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 598 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
598 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
519 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 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.

747 
WFUS52 KMHX 092219
TORMHX
NCC103-107-092245-
/O.NEW.KMHX.TO.W.0001.120509T2219Z-120509T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
619 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL LENOIR COUNTY IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
  WEST CENTRAL JONES COUNTY IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 615 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER TAYLORS CORNER...OR 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF HALF MOON...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN
  EXCESS OF 70 MPH ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  TAYLORS CORNER...
  PLEASANT HILL...
  COMFORT...
  PHILLIPS CROSSROADS...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE. DO
NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF LIGHTNING.
SEEK SHELTER INDOORS NOW AND STAY AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS. MANY
LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL OCCUR WELL AHEAD OF THE HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY
WINDS.

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING...1...8 0 0...8 8 9...6 8 8 9 OR NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

&&

LAT...LON 3521 7761 3502 7738 3496 7749 3497 7750
      3498 7761 3497 7768 3500 7773 3502 7775
      3506 7775
TIME...MOT...LOC 2219Z 225DEG 22KT 3501 7762

$$

2
1 follow-up statement
338 
WWUS52 KMHX 092234
SVSMHX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
634 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012

NCC103-107-092245-
/O.CON.KMHX.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120509T2245Z/
LENOIR NC-JONES NC-
634 PM EDT WED MAY 9 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL JONES AND SOUTH CENTRAL LENOIR COUNTIES...

AT 634 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PLEASANT HILL...OR
14 MILES SOUTH OF KINSTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARDS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
A TORNADO.
OTHER DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM INCLUDE... WOODINGTON.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE. DO
NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO...PLEASE CALL IN YOUR REPORTS OF PENNY OR
LARGER SIZED HAIL...AS WELL AS WIND DAMAGE...INCLUDING TREES OR LARGE
LIMBS DOWNED BY CALLING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT...
1...8 0 0...8 8 9...6 8 8 9.

LAT...LON 3498 7748 3503 7760 3511 7771 3521 7761
      3502 7738
TIME...MOT...LOC 2235Z 225DEG 22KT 3508 7753

$$

2

The office that day

Everything else NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 4:09 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementMHXLenoir51 min
May 9, 6:40 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementMHXPitt50 min
May 9, 7:58 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementMHXTyrrell47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.