Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Wilmington, NC

February 15, 2021Brunswick County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at Feb 15, 2021, 11:39 PM EST for Brunswick County, North Carolina. It was in force for 11 min. 4 reports 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: Feb 15, 2021, 11:39 PM EST (04:39 UTC)
Expired: Feb 15, 2021, 11:50 PM EST
In force: 11 min
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Brunswick County, NC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 5 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:42 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
Feb 15, 11:39 PM EST	TORNADO	4 N Sunset Beach, NC	* 3 FATAL, 10 INJ * FIRST TOUCHDOWN 519 SEASIDE RD. ** UPDATE, NWS PRELIMINARY SURVEY REVEALED EF3 RATING AT 160 MPH. SURVEY REMAINS ONGOING AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE UPON ITS COMPLETION WHICH WILL BE FOLLOWED WITH A DETAILED PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT. *
Feb 15, 11:39 PM EST	TORNADO	4 N Sunset Beach, NC	* 3 FATAL, 10 INJ * INITIAL TOUCHDOWN 519 SEASIDE ROAD. DAMAGE INDICATORS SUGGEST EF3/160 MPH.
Feb 15, 11:39 PM EST	TORNADO	4 N Sunset Beach, NC	* 3 FATAL, 10 INJ * INITIAL TOUCHDOWN 519 SEASIDE ROAD. DETAILS AND EF RATING WILL BE AVAILABLE THIS EVENING.
Feb 15, 11:44 PM EST	TSTM WND DMG	5 E Longwood, NC	POWER POLES SNAPPED. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. STORM SURVEY MAY BE NEEDED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 171 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 241 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 300 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

408 
WFUS52 KILM 160439
TORILM
NCC019-160515-
/O.NEW.KILM.TO.W.0001.210216T0439Z-210216T0515Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
1139 PM EST Mon Feb 15 2021

The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Brunswick County in southeastern North Carolina...

* Until 1215 AM EST.
    
* At 1139 PM EST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
  tornado was located over Grissettown, or near Ocean Isle Beach,
  moving northeast at 40 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.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Shallotte around 1150 PM EST.

This includes US Route 17 in Brunswick County between mile markers 6
and 17.
 
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.

&&

LAT...LON 3389 7849 3393 7854 3406 7843 3399 7833
TIME...MOT...LOC 0439Z 225DEG 35KT 3395 7848 

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

$$

VAO

2 follow-up statements

434 
WWUS52 KILM 160444
SVSILM

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
1144 PM EST Mon Feb 15 2021

NCC019-160515-
/O.CON.KILM.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-210216T0515Z/
Brunswick NC-
1144 PM EST Mon Feb 15 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 AM EST FOR
SOUTHWESTERN BRUNSWICK COUNTY...
    
At 1144 PM EST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Russtown, or near Shallotte, moving northeast at 40
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.

This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
southwestern Brunswick County.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3395 7846 3398 7850 3406 7843 3401 7836
TIME...MOT...LOC 0444Z 225DEG 35KT 3399 7844 

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

$$

VAO

844 
WWUS52 KILM 160450
SVSILM

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
1150 PM EST Mon Feb 15 2021

NCC019-160459-
/O.CAN.KILM.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-210216T0515Z/
Brunswick NC-
1150 PM EST Mon Feb 15 2021

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN BRUNSWICK COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
    
The tornadic thunderstorm which prompted the warning has weakened. 
moved out of the warned area.  Therefore, the warning has been 
cancelled.

LAT...LON 3395 7846 3398 7850 3406 7843 3401 7836
TIME...MOT...LOC 0448Z 225DEG 35KT 3402 7841 

$$

VAO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 15, 10:15 PM EST	River Flood Warning	ILM	Pender	21 days
Feb 15, 10:43 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	ILM		32 min
Feb 15, 11:11 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	ILM		22 min
Feb 15, 11:33 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Brunswick	17 min
Feb 15, 11:48 PM EST	Tornado Warning	ILM	Brunswick	13 min
Feb 15, 11:55 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	ILM		50 min
Feb 16, 12:00 AM EST	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	ILM	Brunswick, Columbus	15 min
Feb 16, 12:29 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Pender	31 min
Feb 16, 12:43 AM EST	Special Marine Warning	ILM		32 min
Feb 16, 12:57 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	ILM	New Hanover, Pender	63 min
Feb 16, 1:03 AM EST	Areal Flood Advisory	ILM	New Hanover, Pender	87 min
Feb 16, 1:07 AM EST	Special Marine Warning	ILM		38 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Carolina, 2021 Every tornado warning in 2021 Tornadoes in 2021

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.