Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC

September 17, 2020Carteret County, North Carolina

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued this tornado warning at Sep 17, 2020, 9:16 PM EDT for Carteret County, North Carolina. It was in force for 14 min. 1 report 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: Sep 17, 2020, 9:16 PM EDT (01:16 UTC)
Expired: Sep 17, 2020, 9:30 PM EDT
In force: 14 min
Issued by: NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Carteret County, NC

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 34 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:17 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Sep 17, 9:16 PM EDT	TORNADO	Merrimon, NC	NWS STORM SURVEY FOUND A BRIEF EF1 TORNADO IMPACTED MERRIMON. MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS WERE 90-100 MPH, WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 0.15 MILES AND MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 25 YARDS. NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES WERE OBSERVED WITH THIS TORNADO.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 17, 3:06 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 34 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 865 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 613 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 122 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 206 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

033 
WFUS52 KMHX 180116
TORMHX
NCC031-180130-
/O.NEW.KMHX.TO.W.0021.200918T0116Z-200918T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
916 PM EDT Thu Sep 17 2020

The National Weather Service in Newport has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  North central Carteret County in eastern North Carolina...

* Until 930 PM EDT.
    
* At 916 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over South River, or 15 miles east of Havelock, moving
  northeast at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  South River.

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 outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Please send your reports of wind and/or hail damage, including trees
or large limbs downed, by calling the National Weather Service office
in Newport at 1-800-889-6889.

&&

LAT...LON 3490 7661 3492 7665 3507 7657 3500 7643
TIME...MOT...LOC 0116Z 221DEG 22KT 3494 7662 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

26

1 follow-up statement

066 
WWUS52 KMHX 180124
SVSMHX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
924 PM EDT Thu Sep 17 2020

NCC031-180134-
/O.EXP.KMHX.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-200918T0130Z/
Carteret NC-
924 PM EDT Thu Sep 17 2020

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL CARTERET COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 930 PM EDT...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM EDT for eastern North
Carolina.

LAT...LON 3490 7661 3492 7665 3507 7657 3500 7643
TIME...MOT...LOC 0124Z 221DEG 22KT 3497 7659 

$$

26

The office that day

Everything else NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 17, 8:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MHX	Carteret, Craven	28 min
Sep 17, 11:30 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		15 min
Sep 18, 1:23 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Hyde, Pamlico	37 min
Sep 18, 1:26 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		49 min
Sep 18, 1:33 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Hyde, Pamlico	42 min
Sep 18, 4:58 AM EDT	Coastal Flood Advisory	MHX	Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, Onslow and 2 more	7 days
Sep 18, 2:41 PM EDT	Coastal Flood Warning	MHX	Dare	4 days

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2020 Every tornado warning in 2020 Tornadoes in 2020

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.