Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2018
Tornado Watch 53
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 15, 2018, 3:02 PM EDT for 40 counties in North Carolina; 8 counties in South Carolina; 26 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 8 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 15, 2018, 3:02 PM EDT (19:02 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 15, 2018, 11:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 8 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 1 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 74 counties
Alamance County, NC, Anson County, NC, Bladen County, NC, Brunswick County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Columbus County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Durham County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Granville County, NC, Guilford County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Hoke County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Lee County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Moore County, NC, Nash County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Orange County, NC, Pender County, NC, Person County, NC, Randolph County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Robeson County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Scotland County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Vance County, NC, Wake County, NC, Warren County, NC, Wayne County, NC, Wilson County, NC, Darlington County, SC, Dillon County, SC, Florence County, SC, Georgetown County, SC, Horry County, SC, Marion County, SC, Marlboro County, SC, Williamsburg County, SC, Amherst County, VA, Appomattox County, VA, Bedford County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Campbell County, VA, Charlotte County, VA, City of Buena Vista, VA, City of Danville, VA, City of Lexington, VA, City of Lynchburg, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, City of Radford, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, Craig County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Halifax County, VA, Henry County, VA, Montgomery County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Roanoke County, VA, Rockbridge County, VA, Wythe County, VA
The radar
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:05 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
- 60%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 20%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 70%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 20%
- 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
- 90%
Warnings issued inside it
36 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 3:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Stokes, Surry | 57 min |
| Apr 15, 3:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Anson, Stanly | 45 min |
| Apr 15, 3:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery and 5 more | 63 min |
| Apr 15, 4:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin | 67 min |
| Apr 15, 4:10 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILM | Florence, Marion, Williamsburg | 65 min |
| Apr 15, 4:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson, Montgomery, Randolph | 64 min |
| Apr 15, 4:17 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson, Forsyth | 43 min |
| Apr 15, 4:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph | 55 min |
| Apr 15, 4:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Anson, Montgomery, Richmond, Stanly | 52 min |
| Apr 15, 4:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILM | Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Marlboro | 58 min |
| Apr 15, 4:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Hoke, Moore, Scotland | 80 min |
| Apr 15, 5:09 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RAH | Guilford | 21 min |
| Apr 15, 5:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Bedford, Botetourt, Floyd, Franklin, Henry, Patrick and 4 more | 63 min |
| Apr 15, 5:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 34 min |
| Apr 15, 5:18 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 42 min |
| Apr 15, 5:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Alamance, Chatham, Orange | 65 min |
| Apr 15, 5:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Pittsylvania, City of Danville | 45 min |
| Apr 15, 5:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Cumberland, Harnett, Lee | 67 min |
| Apr 15, 6:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell | 56 min |
| Apr 15, 6:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Durham, Granville, Person, Wake | 67 min |
| Apr 15, 6:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Rockbridge, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington | 78 min |
| Apr 15, 6:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Chatham, Orange | 37 min |
| Apr 15, 6:23 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Bedford, Campbell, Pittsylvania | 26 min |
| Apr 15, 6:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte and 3 more | 88 min |
| Apr 15, 6:57 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Chatham, Harnett, Wake | 48 min |
| Apr 15, 7:07 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, City of Lynchburg | 38 min |
| Apr 15, 7:34 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RNK | Buckingham | 26 min |
| Apr 15, 7:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILM | Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Williamsburg | 53 min |
| Apr 15, 8:06 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RAH | Hoke, Scotland | 3 hr |
| Apr 15, 8:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Chatham, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Moore and 2 more | 44 min |
| Apr 15, 8:50 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | RAH | Chatham, Durham, Granville, Harnett, Lee, Moore and 2 more | 4 hr |
| Apr 15, 9:17 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | RAH | Vance, Warren | 28 min |
| Apr 15, 9:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Cumberland, Harnett, Johnston, Sampson, Wake, Wayne | 44 min |
| Apr 15, 9:50 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Durham, Franklin, Granville, Vance, Wake, Warren | 40 min |
| Apr 15, 10:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Franklin, Granville, Nash, Vance, Wake, Warren | 53 min |
| Apr 15, 10:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RAH | Johnston, Nash, Sampson, Wake, Wayne, Wilson | 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, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 43 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
- 28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -24 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 638 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 104 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 98 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
928 WWUS20 KWNS 151859 SEL3 SPC WW 151859 NCZ000-SCZ000-VAZ000-160300- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 53 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 300 PM EDT Sun Apr 15 2018 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of Central North Carolina Eastern South Carolina Southern Virginia * Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 300 PM until 1100 PM EDT. * Primary threats include... A few tornadoes likely Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely SUMMARY...Bands of well-organized storms will continue to steadily progress east/northeastward within a highly sheared environment. Tornadoes and damaging winds will remain a threat into this evening. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 45 statute miles east and west of a line from 25 miles north northwest of Lynchburg VA to 30 miles south southwest of Florence SC. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3). 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 51...WW 52... AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector 22040. ...Guyer
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 11:15 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Davidson, Davie and 11 more | 2 hr |
| Apr 15, 12:13 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell and 16 more | 9 hr |
| Apr 15, 2:29 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Anson, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson and 20 more | 91 min |
| Apr 15, 3:17 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anson, Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Rowan and 3 more | 88 min |
| Apr 15, 5:45 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland and 24 more | 90 min |
| Apr 15, 6:28 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Cumberland, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Johnston, Nash and 4 more | 62 min |
| Apr 15, 6:14 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Amelia, Brunswick, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna and 8 more | 7 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2018Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2018Tornado Watches in South 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.