Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2020
Tornado Watch 28
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 6, 2020, 11:01 AM EST for 5 counties in North Carolina; 5 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 2 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 6, 2020, 11:01 AM EST (16:01 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 6, 2020, 1:21 PM EST
- In force
- 2 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 0.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
Counties Caswell County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Surry County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, City of Danville, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, Halifax County, VA, Henry County, VA, Pittsylvania County, VA
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
- 40%
- 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
- 50%
Warnings issued inside it
4 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 11:22 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Rockingham, Stokes | 6 hr |
| Feb 6, 11:48 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Caswell, Rockingham | 5 hr |
| Feb 6, 11:53 AM EST | Flash Flood Warning | RNK | Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin | 6 hr |
| Feb 6, 12:43 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | RNK | Caswell | 32 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 67 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 540 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 81 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 151 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 237 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
092 WWUS20 KWNS 061557 SEL8 SPC WW 061557 NCZ000-VAZ000-062200- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Tornado Watch Number 28 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1100 AM EST Thu Feb 6 2020 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Tornado Watch for portions of North Central North Carolina South Central Virginia * Effective this Thursday morning and afternoon from 1100 AM until 500 PM EST. * Primary threats include... A couple tornadoes possible Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible SUMMARY...Thunderstorms continue to intensify across northern North Carolina, with a risk of damaging winds or a tornado along the wedge front this afternoon. The tornado watch area is approximately along and 30 statute miles north and south of a line from 85 miles west of Danville VA to 40 miles east northeast of Danville VA. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8). 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 26...WW 27... AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 0.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 400. Mean storm motion vector 24040. ...Hart
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 9:50 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland, Davidson and 13 more | 55 min |
| Feb 6, 10:12 AM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland and 20 more | 7 hr |
| Feb 6, 11:55 AM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Edgecombe, Franklin and 16 more | 65 min |
| Feb 6, 12:41 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Cumberland, Currituck and 28 more | 6 hr |
| Feb 6, 1:08 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anson, Chatham, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore and 3 more | 97 min |
| Feb 6, 4:00 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin and 5 more | 60 min |
| Feb 6, 4:23 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven and 15 more | 9 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2020Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2020Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.