Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 41, NWS Morristown, TN

March 2, 2012Cherokee County, North Carolina

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 7:36 PM EST for Cherokee County, North Carolina. It was in force for 24 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
Mar 2, 2012, 7:36 PM EST (00:36 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 8:00 PM EST
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Cherokee County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:37 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 2, 7:50 PM ESTTSTM WND DMGMurphy, NCMURPHY POWER REPORTS MULTIPLE POWER LINES DOWN
Mar 2, 8:00 PM ESTTSTM WND DMGMurphy, NCMULTIPLE POWER LINES DOWN
Mar 2, 8:03 PM ESTTORNADOMurphy, NCPOSSIBLE TORNADO. TORNADO SPOTTED ON REGAL RD. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A BUILDING.
Mar 2, 8:05 PM ESTTORNADOMurphy, NCEF2 TORNADO...120 MPH MAX WINDS. MODERATE TO MAJOR DAMAGE TO BUISNESSES AS WELL AS HOMES.

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
Mar 2, 3:19 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2012-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 540 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2012-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 212 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
540 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-34 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
948 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
212 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
4.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

841 
WFUS54 KMRX 030036
TORMRX
NCC039-030100-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0041.120303T0036Z-120303T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
736 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 800 PM EST

* AT 733 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR DUCKTOWN.
  DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  MURPHY...HOT HOUSE...VIOLET...HIAWASSE DAM AND UNAKA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST FRIDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3502 8431 3512 8431 3521 8429 3525 8400
      3502 8396 3501 8432
TIME...MOT...LOC 0036Z 264DEG 46KT 3510 8434

$$

DGS
1 follow-up statement
906 
WWUS54 KMRX 030053
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
753 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

NCC039-030100-
/O.CON.KMRX.TO.W.0041.000000T0000Z-120303T0100Z/
CHEROKEE NC-
753 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EST FOR CHEROKEE
COUNTY...

AT 752 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HIAWASSE DAM...OR
6 MILES WEST OF MURPHY...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  MURPHY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EST FRIDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA AND EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3502 8431 3512 8431 3521 8429 3525 8400
      3502 8396 3501 8432
TIME...MOT...LOC 0053Z 264DEG 41KT 3512 8412

$$

DGS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Morristown, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 7:56 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCherokee, Clay49 min
Mar 2, 8:35 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCherokee40 min
Mar 2, 8:58 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCherokee, Clay47 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.