Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2014

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Raleigh, NC

May 15, 2014Durham County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2014, 6:06 PM EDT for Durham County, North Carolina. It was in force for 24 min. 2 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
May 15, 2014, 6:06 PM EDT (22:06 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2014, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Durham County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:06 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
May 15, 6:10 PM EDTTORNADO2 Sw Durham, NCNUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN...ALONG HOPE VALLEY RD. DAMAGE LOCATION MATCHES WELL WITH KRAX CC TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE.
May 15, 6:10 PM EDTTORNADO2 Sw Durham, NCNUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. DAMAGE LOCATION MATCHES WELL WITH KRAX CC TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE.

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
May 15, 11:56 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 94 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2014-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 114 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2014-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 133 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
114 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
582 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

984 
WFUS52 KRAH 152206
TORRAH
NCC063-152230-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0029.140515T2206Z-140515T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
606 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  DURHAM COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT
    
* AT 605 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  OVER DURHAM...AND MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  DURHAM...BAHAMA...GORMAN...LAKE MICHIE...ENO RIVER STATE PARK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3617 7881 3610 7880 3609 7881 3608 7879
      3607 7879 3607 7876 3590 7891 3590 7901
      3605 7899 3619 7896
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 195DEG 24KT 3596 7895 
$$

77
2 follow-up statements
858 
WWUS52 KRAH 152212
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
612 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2014

NCC063-152230-
/O.CON.KRAH.TO.W.0029.000000T0000Z-140515T2230Z/
DURHAM NC-
612 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2014

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
DURHAM COUNTY...
     
AT 611 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED OVER
DURHAM...MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... DURHAM... DUKE UNIVERSITY... 
BAHAMA...LAKE MICHIE... ENO RIVER STATE PARK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3617 7881 3610 7880 3609 7881 3608 7879
      3607 7879 3607 7876 3594 7890 3594 7899
      3604 7898 3619 7896
TIME...MOT...LOC 2211Z 186DEG 18KT 3596 7894 

$$

77
681 
WWUS52 KRAH 152229
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
629 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2014

NCC063-152238-
/O.EXP.KRAH.TO.W.0029.000000T0000Z-140515T2230Z/
DURHAM NC-
629 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2014

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL DURHAM COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 630
PM EDT...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED. 
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3617 7881 3610 7880 3609 7881 3608 7879
      3607 7879 3607 7876 3594 7890 3594 7899
      3604 7898 3619 7896
TIME...MOT...LOC 2223Z 195DEG 24KT 3596 7894 

$$

77

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 3:55 AM EDTFlash Flood WatchRAHAlamance, Anson, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham and 22 more25 hr
May 15, 8:47 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHForsyth58 min
May 15, 9:21 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHDavidson, Stanly39 min
May 15, 9:55 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHAnson, Montgomery, Stanly20 min
May 15, 9:57 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHGuilford33 min
May 15, 10:09 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHRandolph51 min
May 15, 10:38 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHRandolph37 min
May 15, 10:42 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRAHAnson, Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Montgomery, Moore and 3 more5 hr
May 15, 10:44 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHMontgomery, Richmond46 min
May 15, 11:14 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHAlamance46 min
May 15, 11:23 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHChatham37 min
May 15, 11:31 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHCumberland44 min
May 15, 11:47 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHLee43 min
May 15, 12:26 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHWake34 min
May 15, 12:42 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHWake33 min
May 15, 12:48 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHDurham27 min
May 15, 1:24 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHWake21 min
May 15, 1:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Granville, Wake47 min
May 15, 1:51 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryRAHDurham, Orange, Wake114 min
May 15, 2:26 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHFranklin64 min
May 15, 3:19 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHWake3 hr
May 15, 3:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHWayne25 min
May 15, 5:39 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHEdgecombe51 min
May 15, 5:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHChatham, Durham, Granville, Orange66 min
May 15, 6:35 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHOrange3 hr
May 15, 6:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHGranville, Person56 min
May 15, 6:54 PM EDTTornado WarningRAHGranville, Person36 min
May 15, 7:06 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRAHDurham54 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2014Every tornado warning in 2014Tornadoes in 2014

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.