Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 45, NWS Morristown, TN

March 2, 2012Cherokee County, Clay County, North Carolina

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 7:56 PM EST for Cherokee County, Clay County, North Carolina. It was in force for 49 min. 3 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, 7:56 PM EST (00:56 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 8:45 PM EST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cherokee County, NC, Clay County, NC

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:55 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, 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 210 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.

809 
WFUS54 KMRX 030056
TORMRX
NCC039-043-030145-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0045.120303T0056Z-120303T0145Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 845 PM EST

* AT 752 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF
  MURPHY. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  MURPHY...HAYESVILLE...ANDREWS...MARBLE...TUSQUITEE AND TOPTON.

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 3504 8411 3520 8410 3523 8398 3522 8395
      3526 8382 3525 8376 3526 8371 3523 8368
      3521 8371 3519 8371 3516 8373 3516 8365
      3505 8354
TIME...MOT...LOC 0056Z 266DEG 40KT 3511 8409

$$

DGS
2 follow-up statements
150 
WWUS54 KMRX 030112
SVSMRX

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

NCC039-043-030145-
/O.CON.KMRX.TO.W.0045.000000T0000Z-120303T0145Z/
CHEROKEE NC-CLAY NC-
812 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 845 PM EST FOR CLAY AND
CHEROKEE COUNTIES...

AT 808 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR MARBLE...OR NEAR
MURPHY...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  ANDREWS...TUSQUITEE AND TOPTON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY 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 3504 8411 3520 8410 3523 8398 3522 8395
      3526 8382 3525 8376 3526 8371 3523 8368
      3521 8371 3519 8371 3516 8373 3516 8365
      3505 8354
TIME...MOT...LOC 0112Z 266DEG 37KT 3512 8391

$$

DGS
728 
WWUS54 KMRX 030137
SVSMRX

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

NCC039-043-030147-
/O.EXP.KMRX.TO.W.0045.000000T0000Z-120303T0145Z/
CHEROKEE NC-CLAY NC-
837 PM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CLAY AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT
845 PM EST...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA. THEREFORE...THE WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

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

LAT...LON 3504 8411 3520 8410 3523 8398 3522 8395
      3526 8382 3525 8376 3526 8371 3523 8368
      3521 8371 3519 8371 3516 8373 3516 8365
      3505 8354
TIME...MOT...LOC 0137Z 266DEG 37KT 3514 8360

$$

DGS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 7:36 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCherokee24 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.