Alert archive / North Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC

March 16, 2026Duplin County, Jones County, Onslow County, North Carolina

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 16, 2026, 1:13 PM EDT for Duplin County, Jones County, Onslow County, North Carolina. It was in force for 47 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Mar 16, 2026, 1:13 PM EDT (17:13 UTC)
Expired: Mar 16, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Possible
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Duplin County, NC, Jones County, NC, Onslow County, NC

The radar

The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:14 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 nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 64 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: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -210 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1180 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 233 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 190 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 16, 9:10 AM EDT, 4 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 16, 9:10 AM EDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 16, 6:56 AM EDT, 6 hours 17 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 16, 9:56 AM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
956 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

NCZ090-161430-
Duplin NC-
956 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT WESTERN JONES...SOUTHWESTERN
LENOIR AND DUPLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 1030 AM EDT...

At 956 AM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles southwest of Warsaw, moving northeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Warsaw, Mount Olive, Kornegay, Rose Hill, Bowdens, Beautancus,
Kenansville, Potters Hill, Albertson, Harrells, Sarecta, Faison,
Magnolia, and Calypso.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3490 7815 3504 7815 3509 7817 3519 7816
      3518 7808 3519 7805 3519 7802 3518 7798
      3517 7797 3517 7793 3515 7789 3516 7789
      3518 7784 3515 7778 3510 7775 3502 7775
      3499 7770 3497 7769 3473 7816 3474 7820
TIME...MOT...LOC 1356Z 226DEG 41KT 3492 7821

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

OJC

Special weather statement, Mar 16, 10:29 AM EDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
1029 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

NCZ090-198-161500-
Inland Onslow NC-Duplin NC-
1029 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT WESTERN ONSLOW AND SOUTHEASTERN
DUPLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 1100 AM EDT...

At 1029 AM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Beulaville to near Maple Hill to 7 miles
southeast of White Stocking. Movement was northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Jacksonville, New River Station, Half Moon, Camp Lejeune Center,
Richlands, Beulaville, Cypress Creek, Verona, Catherine Lake,
Chinquapin, Petersburg, Albert J Ellis Airport, Richlands South,
Lyman, and Haws Run.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3472 7768 3472 7780 3488 7785 3497 7768
      3491 7745 3470 7733 3451 7759
TIME...MOT...LOC 1429Z 227DEG 46KT 3489 7780 3469 7774 3451 7773

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

OJC

Special weather statement, Mar 16, 11:05 AM EDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
1105 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

NCZ091-092-193-161530-
Jones NC-Lenoir NC-Northern Craven NC-
1105 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN JONES...CENTRAL
LENOIR...NORTHWESTERN CRAVEN...SOUTHERN PITT...NORTHWESTERN ONSLOW
AND NORTHEASTERN DUPLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 1130 AM EDT...

At 1105 AM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Pleasant Hill, or 15 miles south of Kinston, moving northeast at 45
mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Kinston, Grifton, Phillips Crossroads, Deep Run, Comfort, Fort
Barnwell, Jasper, Graingers, Pleasant Hill, Wyse Fork, Pink Hill,
Dover, Cove City, and Hargetts Crossroads.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3541 7749 3539 7745 3537 7745 3537 7743
      3535 7742 3535 7739 3533 7738 3533 7735
      3522 7717 3497 7751 3498 7763 3498 7767
      3505 7775 3507 7775
TIME...MOT...LOC 1505Z 214DEG 40KT 3507 7761

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

OJC

Special weather statement, Mar 16, 12:57 PM EDT, 16 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
1257 PM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

NCZ090>092-198-199-161745-
Coastal Onslow NC-Jones NC-Lenoir NC-Inland Onslow NC-Duplin NC-
1257 PM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT CENTRAL JONES...SOUTHWESTERN
LENOIR...SOUTHERN CRAVEN...ONSLOW...EASTERN DUPLIN AND WESTERN
CARTERET COUNTIES THROUGH 145 PM EDT...

At 1257 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Burgaw, moving northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Jacksonville, Wallace, New River Station, Pumpkin Center, Piney
Green, Half Moon, Camp Lejeune Center, Swansboro, Phillips
Crossroads, Hubert, Kornegay, Richlands, Beulaville, Deep Run,
Maysville, Catherine Lake, Folkstone, Silverdale, Kellum, and Cypress
Creek.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3448 7758 3472 7768 3472 7794 3471 7798
      3473 7801 3473 7804 3512 7784 3517 7754
      3482 7709 3479 7713 3479 7716 3478 7717
      3477 7715 3447 7756
TIME...MOT...LOC 1657Z 213DEG 43KT 3453 7788

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

OJC

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 16, 4:11 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		64 min
Mar 16, 5:10 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		65 min
Mar 16, 6:25 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		29 min
Mar 16, 9:56 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MHX	Duplin	34 min
Mar 16, 10:29 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MHX	Onslow	31 min
Mar 16, 11:05 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MHX	Lenoir	25 min
Mar 16, 12:57 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MHX	Duplin, Onslow	48 min
Mar 16, 1:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir and 3 more	66 min
Mar 16, 2:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Martin, Pitt	50 min
Mar 16, 2:27 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		63 min
Mar 16, 2:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Martin, Washington	45 min
Mar 16, 2:45 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		30 min
Mar 16, 3:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Duplin, Greene, Lenoir, Martin, Pitt	58 min
Mar 16, 3:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Dare, Hyde	51 min
Mar 16, 3:57 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		63 min
Mar 16, 4:23 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		67 min
Mar 16, 4:39 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		66 min
Mar 16, 6:20 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MHX		115 min
Mar 16, 7:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MHX	Beaufort, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir and 3 more	78 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Carolina, 2026 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

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.