Alert archive / North Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2022

Tornado Watch 69

March 23, 202214 counties in North Carolina; 6 counties in Virginia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 23, 2022, 8:33 PM EDT for 14 counties in North Carolina; 6 counties in Virginia. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 23, 2022, 8:33 PM EDT (00:33 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 2022, 12:00 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Alexander County, NC, Burke County, NC, Caldwell County, NC, Catawba County, NC, Cleveland County, NC, Gaston County, NC, Iredell County, NC, Lincoln County, NC, Polk County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Surry County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC, Carroll County, VA, City of Martinsville, VA, Floyd County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Henry County, VA, Patrick County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:34 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
30%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
10%
Ten or more severe wind reports
20%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
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
30%

Warnings issued inside it

11 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 9:27 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKBedford, Franklin20 min
Mar 23, 9:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCarroll, Floyd, Patrick66 min
Mar 23, 10:03 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPPolk, Rutherford23 min
Mar 23, 10:10 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell, McDowell50 min
Mar 23, 10:23 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPBurke, McDowell, Rutherford52 min
Mar 23, 10:36 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAlexander, Burke, Caldwell39 min
Mar 23, 10:58 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAlexander, Caldwell47 min
Mar 23, 11:02 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKWilkes28 min
Mar 23, 11:04 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPBurke, Caldwell, Catawba30 min
Mar 23, 11:29 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKSurry20 min
Mar 23, 11:52 PM EDTTornado WarningRNKSurry, Yadkin23 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The text

As transmitted.

454 
WWUS20 KWNS 240027
SEL9  
SPC WW 240027
NCZ000-VAZ000-240400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 69
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
830 PM EDT Wed Mar 23 2022

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Western North Carolina
  Southern Virginia

* Effective this Wednesday night from 830 PM until Midnight EDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...A band of thunderstorms with a few embedded supercells
will continue to gradually move northeastward this evening. A couple
of  tornadoes and damaging wind gusts are possible.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 35 statute miles
east and west of a line from 40 miles south southwest of Hickory NC
to 115 miles northeast of Hickory NC. For a complete depiction of
the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU9).

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 67...

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 24030.

...Mosier/Thompson

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 8:05 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Alleghany, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and 15 more85 min
Mar 23, 11:01 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Iredell and 7 more59 min
Mar 24, 7:42 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Edgecombe, Gates and 13 more2 hr
Mar 24, 2:51 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Craven, Currituck and 23 more2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2022Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2022Every tornado watch in 2022

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.