Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Raleigh, NC

March 18, 2021Durham County, Orange County, North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this tornado warning at Mar 18, 2021, 6:39 PM EDT for Durham County, Orange County, North Carolina. It was in force for 34 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Mar 18, 2021, 6:39 PM EDT (22:39 UTC)
Expired: Mar 18, 2021, 7:13 PM EDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Raleigh, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Durham County, NC, Orange County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 18, 4:45 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 87 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: 486 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 470 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 562 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

738 
WFUS52 KRAH 182239
TORRAH
NCC063-135-182330-
/O.NEW.KRAH.TO.W.0005.210318T2239Z-210318T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
639 PM EDT Thu Mar 18 2021

The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  East central Orange County in central North Carolina...
  Central Durham County in central North Carolina...

* Until 730 PM EDT.
    
* At 639 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Hillsborough, moving northeast at 45 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...
  Durham around 655 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Gorman, Lake Michie, Bahama, Eno River State Park and Falls Lake.

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 3601 7880 3596 7911 3606 7915 3622 7880
TIME...MOT...LOC 2239Z 240DEG 39KT 3605 7909 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

Leins

2 follow-up statements

393 
WWUS52 KRAH 182253
SVSRAH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
653 PM EDT Thu Mar 18 2021

NCC135-182303-
/O.CAN.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210318T2330Z/
Orange NC-
653 PM EDT Thu Mar 18 2021

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

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for central North
Carolina.

LAT...LON 3609 7880 3603 7898 3614 7896 3622 7880
TIME...MOT...LOC 2253Z 241DEG 39KT 3611 7892 

$$

NCC063-182330-
/O.CON.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210318T2330Z/
Durham NC-
653 PM EDT Thu Mar 18 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM EDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN DURHAM COUNTY...
    
At 653 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 7 miles south of Rougemont, or 9 miles north of Durham,
moving northeast at 45 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
northwestern Durham County, including the following locations... Lake
Michie, Bahama and Eno River State Park.

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 3609 7880 3603 7898 3614 7896 3622 7880
TIME...MOT...LOC 2253Z 241DEG 39KT 3611 7892 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

Leins

551 
WWUS52 KRAH 182313
SVSRAH

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
713 PM EDT Thu Mar 18 2021

NCC063-182323-
/O.CAN.KRAH.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210318T2330Z/
Durham NC-
713 PM EDT Thu Mar 18 2021

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN DURHAM COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
        
The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.  However gusty winds are
still possible with this thunderstorm.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for central North
Carolina.

LAT...LON 3609 7880 3603 7898 3614 7896 3622 7880
TIME...MOT...LOC 2311Z 240DEG 39KT 3622 7868 

$$

Leins

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 18, 3:55 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RAH	Davidson, Forsyth	65 min
Mar 18, 4:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford	31 min
Mar 18, 4:54 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Guilford, Randolph	66 min
Mar 18, 5:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Halifax	23 min
Mar 18, 5:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Chatham, Davidson, Guilford, Randolph	62 min
Mar 18, 5:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Alamance, Guilford	26 min
Mar 18, 5:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Montgomery, Randolph, Stanly	38 min
Mar 18, 5:58 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Alamance, Durham, Orange, Person	62 min
Mar 18, 6:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Anson, Richmond	38 min
Mar 18, 6:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Orange	66 min
Mar 18, 6:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Stanly	47 min
Mar 18, 6:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Granville	34 min
Mar 18, 6:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Anson, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond	45 min
Mar 18, 6:57 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Granville	48 min
Mar 18, 6:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Alamance, Chatham, Orange, Randolph	21 min
Mar 18, 7:11 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Halifax, Vance, Warren	54 min
Mar 18, 7:12 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RAH	Durham, Orange	63 min
Mar 18, 7:25 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Franklin, Vance, Warren	47 min
Mar 18, 7:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Moore	45 min
Mar 18, 7:41 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	RAH	Hoke, Scotland	64 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.