Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2012
Severe Thunderstorm Watch 105
The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Mar 24, 2012, 12:46 PM EDT for 39 counties in North Carolina; 27 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 7 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 24, 2012, 12:46 PM EDT (16:46 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 24, 2012, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 7 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 2 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 66 counties
Alamance County, NC, Alexander County, NC, Alleghany County, NC, Anson County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Avery County, NC, Burke County, NC, Cabarrus County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Cleveland County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Davie County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Guilford County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, McDowell County, NC, Mecklenburg County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Moore County, NC, Orange County, NC, Person County, NC, Polk County, NC, Randolph County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Rowan County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Surry County, NC, Union County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Bedford County, VA, Bland County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Carroll County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Galax, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, City of Radford, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, Craig County, VA, Floyd County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Giles County, VA, Grayson County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Henry County, VA, Montgomery County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Roanoke County, VA, Smyth County, VA, Wythe County, VA
The radar
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:47 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 20%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 5%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 40%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 20%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 40%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 20%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 80%
Warnings issued inside it
57 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 1:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Ashe | 60 min |
| Mar 24, 1:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bland, Smyth, Tazewell, Wythe | 63 min |
| Mar 24, 2:00 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Surry | 60 min |
| Mar 24, 2:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bland, Grayson, Pulaski, Smyth, Wythe | 53 min |
| Mar 24, 2:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bland, Tazewell | 60 min |
| Mar 24, 2:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Ashe | 56 min |
| Mar 24, 2:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Surry, Wilkes | 56 min |
| Mar 24, 2:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Surry | 61 min |
| Mar 24, 2:52 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Surry | 6 hr |
| Mar 24, 2:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bland, Giles, Pulaski, Wythe | 63 min |
| Mar 24, 3:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Surry | 64 min |
| Mar 24, 3:37 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Alleghany, Craig, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski | 53 min |
| Mar 24, 3:39 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Floyd, Franklin, Henry, Patrick | 66 min |
| Mar 24, 3:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg | 44 min |
| Mar 24, 3:46 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Floyd, Patrick | 29 min |
| Mar 24, 3:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Gaston, Mecklenburg | 36 min |
| Mar 24, 4:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin | 67 min |
| Mar 24, 4:15 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Franklin, Patrick | 30 min |
| Mar 24, 4:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Iredell, Rowan | 55 min |
| Mar 24, 4:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Davie | 45 min |
| Mar 24, 4:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes, Surry, Yadkin | 44 min |
| Mar 24, 4:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Forsyth | 39 min |
| Mar 24, 4:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson, Forsyth | 95 min |
| Mar 24, 4:41 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Franklin | 34 min |
| Mar 24, 4:48 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Patrick | 42 min |
| Mar 24, 5:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cabarrus, Mecklenburg | 53 min |
| Mar 24, 5:09 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Bedford, Franklin | 36 min |
| Mar 24, 5:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson | 59 min |
| Mar 24, 5:17 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Floyd, Patrick | 5 hr |
| Mar 24, 5:21 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Cabarrus, Rowan | 43 min |
| Mar 24, 5:24 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Henry, Patrick | 36 min |
| Mar 24, 5:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Guilford | 87 min |
| Mar 24, 5:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Surry | 55 min |
| Mar 24, 5:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bedford, Campbell, Pittsylvania | 67 min |
| Mar 24, 5:51 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Franklin, Henry, City of Martinsville | 39 min |
| Mar 24, 5:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Guilford, Randolph | 83 min |
| Mar 24, 5:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Montgomery, Stanly | 62 min |
| Mar 24, 6:01 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson | 59 min |
| Mar 24, 6:05 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Surry | 4 hr |
| Mar 24, 6:05 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Campbell | 25 min |
| Mar 24, 6:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes | 53 min |
| Mar 24, 6:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Union | 27 min |
| Mar 24, 6:19 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania | 41 min |
| Mar 24, 6:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Randolph | 97 min |
| Mar 24, 6:24 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Anson | 51 min |
| Mar 24, 6:25 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Franklin, Henry, Patrick | 4 hr |
| Mar 24, 6:25 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, City of Lynchburg | 35 min |
| Mar 24, 6:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Henry, City of Martinsville | 34 min |
| Mar 24, 6:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 60 min |
| Mar 24, 6:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Alamance | 84 min |
| Mar 24, 6:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Durham, Orange | 38 min |
| Mar 24, 6:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Appomattox, Campbell | 37 min |
| Mar 24, 7:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania | 56 min |
| Mar 24, 7:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Guilford, Randolph | 61 min |
| Mar 24, 7:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Durham, Orange, Person | 65 min |
| Mar 24, 7:39 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell | 81 min |
| Mar 24, 7:42 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Alamance, Chatham, Randolph | 64 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 68 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 226 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -8 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 526 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 167 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 153 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 0.5
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 12:03 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell and 20 more | 117 min |
| Mar 24, 2:31 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell and 4 more | 59 min |
| Mar 24, 2:54 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Caswell, Forsyth, Guilford, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and 1 more | 66 min |
| Mar 24, 3:38 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alamance, Anson, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson and 30 more | 7 hr |
| Mar 24, 4:16 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Iredell, Mecklenburg and 6 more | 59 min |
| Mar 24, 6:03 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret and 24 more | 2 hr |
| Mar 24, 6:43 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Caswell, Rockingham | 4 hr |
| Mar 24, 6:58 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Alleghany, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba and 9 more | 92 min |
| Mar 24, 7:34 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Anson, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Durham and 23 more | 116 min |
| Mar 24, 3:02 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath and 13 more | 5 hr |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Watches in North Carolina, 2012Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Virginia, 2012Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.