Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Raleigh, NC

December 23, 2015Sampson County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Dec 23, 2015, 8:03 AM EST for Sampson County, North Carolina. It was in force for 28 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
Dec 23, 2015, 8:03 AM EST (13:03 UTC)
Expired
Dec 23, 2015, 8:31 AM EST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Sampson County, NC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:03 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, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 124 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 2015-12-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 716 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Newport, NC at 12:00Z on 2015-12-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 158 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
716 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
657 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
5.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

746 
WFUS52 KRAH 231303
TORRAH
NCC163-231345-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0005.151223T1303Z-151223T1345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
803 AM EST WED DEC 23 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN SAMPSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 845 AM EST
    
* AT 802 AM EST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR ROWAN...OR 16 MILES EAST OF ELIZABETHTOWN...AND MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  IVANHOE BY 815 AM EST AND HARRELLS AROUND 830 AM EST.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE
IVANHOE.

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 YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3458 7826 3461 7831 3463 7832 3464 7831
      3465 7832 3467 7832 3470 7836 3491 7816
      3490 7815 3474 7820 3471 7813 3472 7811
      3471 7811 3468 7816 3455 7825
TIME...MOT...LOC 1302Z 228DEG 26KT 3457 7833 

$$

VINCENT
2 follow-up statements
272 
WWUS52 KRAH 231319
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
819 AM EST WED DEC 23 2015

NCC163-231345-
/O.CON.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-151223T1345Z/
SAMPSON NC-
819 AM EST WED DEC 23 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 845 AM EST FOR
SOUTHEASTERN SAMPSON COUNTY...
    
AT 817 AM EST...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR IVANHOE...OR ROUGHLY 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
HARRELLS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HARRELLS AROUND 835 AM EST.

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 YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3469 7835 3476 7828 3477 7819 3474 7820
      3471 7813 3472 7811 3471 7811 3468 7816
      3455 7825 3458 7826 3461 7831 3463 7832
      3464 7831 3465 7832 3467 7832
TIME...MOT...LOC 1317Z 224DEG 20KT 3463 7827 

$$

VINCENT
221 
WWUS52 KRAH 231331
SVSRAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
831 AM EST WED DEC 23 2015

NCC163-231339-
/O.CAN.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-151223T1345Z/
SAMPSON NC-
831 AM EST WED DEC 23 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN SAMPSON COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
    
THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING HAS RECENTLY WEAKENED...
AND SEVERE WEATHER IS NO LONGER EXPECTED. AS A RESULT...THE WARNING
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3469 7835 3476 7828 3477 7819 3474 7820
      3471 7813 3472 7811 3471 7811 3468 7816
      3455 7825 3458 7826 3461 7831 3463 7832
      3464 7831 3465 7832 3467 7832
TIME...MOT...LOC 1327Z 228DEG 26KT 3469 7819 

$$

VINCENT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 23, 8:24 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningRAHChatham49 hr
Dec 23, 10:51 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningRAHJohnston71 hr
Dec 23, 10:58 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningRAHCumberland3 days
Dec 23, 11:39 AM ESTRiver Flood WarningRAHJohnston43 hr
Dec 23, 12:21 PM ESTAreal Flood AdvisoryRAHDurham, Orange114 min
Dec 23, 2:27 PM ESTRiver Flood WarningRAHChatham, Lee33 hr
Dec 23, 3:30 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRAHAnson, Davidson, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond and 1 more60 min
Dec 23, 4:05 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRAHAlamance, Anson, Davidson, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph and 1 more55 min
Dec 23, 4:13 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRAHAnson, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Stanly3 hr
Dec 23, 4:47 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRAHAlamance, Chatham, Lee, Moore, Orange58 min
Dec 23, 5:03 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningRAHDurham, Orange, Wake3 hr
Dec 23, 5:09 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHAlamance, Chatham, Lee, Moore, Orange51 min
Dec 23, 5:32 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRAHPerson58 min
Dec 23, 5:39 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRAHDurham, Granville, Person, Wake51 min
Dec 23, 5:41 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementRAHCumberland, Harnett, Hoke64 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.