National Weather Service, Newport/Morehead City, NC http://weather.gov/Newport —> Bookmark it!! Spring 2014 Edition Eastern NC Is Susceptible to Tornadoes March 28, 1984, April 15, 1999 and April 16, 2011 are days that will always live in the memories of many residents of Eastern North Carolina. These are the three most recent major torna- do outbreaks to affect the region. On the afternoon and evening of April 16, 2011, 12 tornadoes touched down across eastern North Carolina. Hundreds of homes were damaged or completely de- stroyed across the region. Many business and several schools received structural damage with some buildings totally destroyed, with many people left homeless. Scores of injuries also occurred with several injuries being categorized as critical. On the evening of April 15, 1999, one of the most bizarre and unusual supercell thunderstorms ever observed roared across southeastern North Carolina. It produced several damaging tornadoes, one killer tornado, non-tornadic wind damage reports, and a measured wind gust to 165 mph. As it was producing a tornado across portions of Duplin County, the thunderstorm cluster assumed a hurricane-like shape, even forming an eye-like "hole". On March 28, 1984, a strong outbreak of fast-moving tornadoes crossed all of eastern North Caroli- na, producing 3 total tornadoes (2 F4’s, the other an F3). These tornadoes produced 16 deaths and over 300 injuries. For more details on this outbreak, see Page 5. These events highlight the need to have a plan of action should tornadoes and severe weather affect you. March through May is the peak season for tornadoes and severe weather in eastern North Carolina. CONTENTS Be a Force of Nature 2-3 When Thunder Roars, Go 4 Indoors March 28, 1984 Tornado 5 Outbreak Spring is Wildfire Season. 6-7 Historical Large Fires in 8-9 Eastern North Carolina 10- Review of 2013 Weather 12 Marine Zone Changes 13- The Tornadocane, April 15, 1999 Tornado Damage from April 16, 2011 Coming in April 16 P a g e 2 Carolina Sky Watcher Be A Force of Nature By John Cole, Warning Coordination Meteorologist Each year many people are killed or seriously injured by severe weather, including tornadoes and other types of severe weather, despite advance warning. In 2012, tornadoes were reported in 46 states. Across the nation, there were 450+ weather-related fatalities, more than 2,600 injuries, and over $1.6 billion in damage. In North Carolina alone, there were 21 tornadoes which injured 22 peo- ple and resulted in over 19 million dollars in damage. Because severe weather knows no boundaries and affects every individual, we’re calling on people across the state and across the country to “be a force of nature” in their communities and prepare for severe weather. The first step in being a force of nature is to know your risk. Here are a few statis- tics about North Carolina’s severe weather risks: North Carolina experiences about 40 to 50 thunderstorm days per year. While tornadoes can happen anywhere in the state, climate analysis suggests that more tornadoes occur in the southeast, south-central region, and eastern piedmont and coastal plain regions of North Carolina. A tornado outbreak on April 16th, 2011 resulted in 12 tornadoes across the NWS Newport County warning area. Four of these were classified as strong tornadoes. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but there were serious injuries reported. See this link for the event re- view: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReviews/20110416/20110416.php Severe gusts of wind from a thunderstorm called downbursts or straight line winds are a serious danger. On July 1st 2012, a Derecho resulted in widespread wind damage with wind gusts up to 100 mph. Tragically, there were 3 fatalities across the NWS Newport county warning area. See this link below for the event review: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/ EventReviews/20120701/20120701.php Hail is a threat to life and property and has been responsible for millions of dollars’ worth of damage in North Carolina. There have been 20 lightning fatalities in the state during the past 10 years. In addition, there are several great web sites, such as ready.gov/severe-weather, or readync.org, which provide information about what your community could expect to face this severe weather sea- son. It is especially important to stay informed by having multiple sources for weather alerts, such as NOAA Weather Radio, NWS Weather Wire Service, the NWS web site at Weather.gov, and NWS alert subscription service at www.weather.gov/subscribe. P a g e 3 Carolina Sky Watcher Be A Force of Nature (Continued) Take a moment to see if your cell phone is equipped to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), free messages sent directly to your cell phone from public safety officials such as the National Weather Service to warn you about imminent threats like severe weather, AMBER Alerts or Presidential alerts. For individuals with access and function- al needs, there are adaptive NOAA weather radios available through North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services. Finally, encourage your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to do the same and learn about their severe weather risks. This is what is meant by being a force of nature. Credits: NWS Raleigh, and NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services P a g e 4 Carolina Sky Watcher When Thunder Roads, Go Indoors! By Bob Frederick, Meteorologist One of the greatest threats that thunderstorms produce is lightning. On average 50 to 60 people are killed by lightning strikes in the United States each year. The vast majority of these deaths occur out- side…during the afternoon and evening in the summer. The following information from the NWS dispels some common myths associated with lightning. Myth: Lightning never strikes the same place twice. Fact: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it’s a tall, pointy, isolated ob- ject. The Empire State Building is hit nearly 100 times a year. Myth: If it’s not raining or there aren’t clouds overhead, you’re safe from lightning. Fact: Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the center of the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or thunderstorm cloud. “Bolts from the blue” can strike 10-15 miles from the thunderstorm. Myth: Rubber tires on a car protect you from lightning by insulating you from the ground. Fact: Most cars are safe from lightning, but it is the metal roof and metal sides that protect you, NOT the rubber tires. Remember, convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open-shelled outdoor recrea- tional vehicles and cars with fiberglass shells offer no protection from lightning. When lightning strikes a vehicle, it goes through the metal frame into the ground. Don't lean on doors during a thun- derstorm. Myth: A lightning victim is electrified. If you touch them, you’ll be electrocuted. Fact: The human body does not store electricity. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid. This is the most chilling of lightning Myths. Imagine if someone died because people were afraid to give CPR! Myth: If outside in a thunderstorm, you should seek shelter under a tree to stay dry. Fact: Being underneath a tree is the second leading cause of lightning casualties. Better to get wet than fried! Myth: If you are in a house, you are 100% safe from lightning. Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that con- ducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, com- puters, plumbing, metal doors and windows. Windows are hazardous for two reasons: wind generat- ed during a thunderstorm can blow objects into the window, breaking it and causing glass to shatter and second, in older homes, in rare instances, lightning can come in cracks in the sides of windows. Myth: If thunderstorms threaten while you are outside playing a game, it is okay to finish it before seeking shelter. Fact: Many lightning casualties occur because people do not seek shelter soon enough. No game is worth death or life-long injuries. Seek proper shelter immediately if you hear thunder. Adults are re- sponsible for the safety of children. P a g e 5 Carolina Sky Watcher March 28, 1984 Tornado Outbreak By Chris Collins, Meteorologist The most destructive tornado outbreak to sweep through the Carolinas since the 1884 Enigma Out- break occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of March 28, 1984. There were 24 confirmed tornadoes including 7 F4 tornadoes, 5 F3 tornadoes and 7 F2 tornadoes. The outbreak caused 57 deaths and 1248 injuries, with 37% of the deaths in mobile homes. The storms were moving as fast as 65 mph, crossing all of eastern North Carolina in about 4 hours. In the Newport/Morehead City County Warning Area, there were 3 total tornadoes, 2 were F4’s, the other an F3. These 3 tornadoes produced 16 deaths and over 300 injuries. The counties affected in Eastern North Carolina included Pitt, Greene, Lenoir and Duplin with 9 deaths reported in Pitt County and 7 in Greene County. East Carolina University in Greenville sustained severe damage. Timeline of Eastern North Carolina Tornadoes (times approximate) 815 pm – Tornado enters Duplin County from Sampson County producing extensive F4 damage in Faison and Calypso before hitting Mount Olive in Wayne County. The tornado trav- elled 21 miles and was as much as ¾ mile wide. 830 pm - F3 tornado touches down and moves through the southeastern portion of La- Grange in Lenoir County, injuring 81 but causing no deaths.