Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2018

Tornado Watch 375

September 14, 201818 counties in North Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Sep 14, 2018, 11:03 PM EDT for 18 counties in North Carolina. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 14, 2018, 11:03 PM EDT (03:03 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 2018, 7:00 AM EDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Bladen County, NC, Brunswick County, NC, Carteret County, NC, Columbus County, NC, Craven County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Duplin County, NC, Greene County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Jones County, NC, Lenoir County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Onslow County, NC, Pamlico County, NC, Pender County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Wayne County, NC

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:07 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
30%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
10%
Ten or more severe wind reports
5%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
5%
Ten or more severe hail reports
5%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
20%

Warnings issued inside it

10 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 11:14 PM EDTTornado WarningMHXCarteret, Craven, Duplin, Jones, Lenoir, Onslow46 min
Sep 14, 11:56 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRAHCumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Moore, Sampson and 4 more39 hr
Sep 14, 11:58 PM EDTTornado WarningMHXCarteret, Craven, Jones, Onslow47 min
Sep 15, 1:43 AM EDTTornado WarningMHXDuplin, Jones, Onslow47 min
Sep 15, 2:07 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningILMBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender, Robeson20 hr
Sep 15, 2:34 AM EDTTornado WarningMHXJones, Onslow41 min
Sep 15, 3:02 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMHXBeaufort, Craven, Jones, Lenoir3 hr
Sep 15, 3:13 AM EDTFlash Flood Warning EmergencyMHXDuplin, Onslow12 hr
Sep 15, 4:35 AM EDTTornado WarningMHXGreene, Lenoir25 min
Sep 15, 4:58 AM EDTTornado WarningRAHWayne21 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

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 91 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 00:00Z on 2018-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 522 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 00:00Z on 2018-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
522 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
546 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

463 
WWUS20 KWNS 150300
SEL5  
SPC WW 150300
NCZ000-CWZ000-151100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 375
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1100 PM EDT Fri Sep 14 2018

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Southeast North Carolina
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 1100 PM
  until 700 AM EDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible

SUMMARY...A moist air mass and strong low-level wind field will
continue to yield low-topped/transient supercells on the periphery
of Florence.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 50 statute miles
north and south of a line from 60 miles west of Jacksonville NC to
55 miles south southeast of New Bern NC. For a complete depiction of
the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU5).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 374...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 0 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 14050.

...Guyer

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 8:01 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeaufort, Carteret, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin and 18 more119 min
Sep 14, 10:25 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland and 11 more95 min
Sep 15, 2:59 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland and 12 more91 min
Sep 15, 6:15 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven and 16 more90 min
Sep 15, 6:59 AM EDTTornado WatchSPCBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene and 14 more10 hr
Sep 15, 12:01 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin and 9 more119 min
Sep 15, 3:26 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPender64 min
Sep 15, 4:38 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCBladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, New Hanover and 4 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2018Every tornado watch in 2018

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.