939
NOUS42 KMHX 032115
PNSMHX
NCZ029-044>047-079>081-090>092-094-193>196-198-199-203>205-040115-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
515 PM EDT MON JUN 3 2019
..GUSTNADO CONFIRMED NEAR FAIRFIELD IN HYDE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
LOCATION...FAIRFIELD IN HYDE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
DATE...MAY 31ST 2019
ESTIMATED TIME...353 PM TO 356 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF0
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...80 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...0.50 MILES
PATH LENGTH...2 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...35.538625/-76.188886
ENDING LAT/LON...35.555941/-76.150945
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0
* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.
..SUMMARY
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC HAS CONFIRMED
A GUSTNADO NEAR FAIRFIELD IN HYDE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA ON MAY 31ST
2019.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING TO THE EAST PRODUCED A GUSTNADO ALONG OR
JUST NORTH OF LAKE MATTAMUSKEET NEAR AND JUST TO THE EAST OF FAIRFIELD,
NC ON THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 31ST, 2019. THE GUSTNADO MAY HAVE FORMED OVER
THE LAKE BEFORE CROSSING OVER NORTH LAKE ROAD, JUST EAST OF FAIRFIELD.
WHILE SOME SMALLER LIMBS WERE DOWN IN THE TOWN OF FAIRFIELD, THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE CERTAINLY OCCURRED WITH THE GUSTNADO, MAINLY ALONG
NORTH LAKE ROAD. MOST OF THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF SMALLER TREE LIMBS
DOWN, CONSISTENT WITH WINDS AROUND 60 MPH. ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF
FAIRFIELD, AGAIN MAINLY ALONG NORTH LAKE ROAD, MAXIMUM WINDS OF AROUND
80 MPH OCCURRED. HERE LESS THAN 10% OF SHINGLES ON A HOUSE WERE BLOWN
OFF, WITH LARGER SECTIONS OF TREES EITHER SNAPPED OR BROKEN.
HYDE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROVIDED US WITH EXTENSIVE PICTURES OF
THE DAMAGE. THEY CONFIRMED THAT ALL OF THE DAMAGE WAS ORIENTED FROM THE
NORTH TO SOUTH OR IN THE SAME DIRECTION, WHICH WOULD NOT BE CONSISTENT
WITH THAT OF A TORNADO. WE ARE VERY THANKFUL THAT WE ALSO RECEIVED A
GREAT PIECE OF VIDEO FROM A LOCATION ALONG NORTH LAKE ROAD EAST OF THE
DAMAGE, THAT SHOWED THE ROTATION. A TEAM FROM THE OFFICE COMPARED THE
VIDEO TO RADAR IMAGERY OF THE STORM. THE STRONGEST SIGNATURE ON THE
RADAR WAS THAT OF A DOWNDRAFT, WITH VERY STRONG INBOUND WINDS TOWARD THE
RADAR SITE HERE IN NEWPORT OR FROM THE NORTH. IN ADDITION THE STORM HAD
A STRONG REAR INFLOW JET ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE STORM WHICH OFTEN
CONTRIBUTES TO SEVERE WINDS OF THE DOWNDRAFT FORM. LASTLY OUR AREA HAD
BEEN VERY DRY UP UNTIL THIS STORM, WITH DUSTSTORMS BEING REPORTED IN THE
AREA THAT SAME AFTER. THE AMOUNT OF DUST LIKELY AIDED IN BEING ABLE TO
SEE THIS CIRCULATION SO CLEARLY.
THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/NEWPORT.
FOR REFERENCE:
A GUSTNADO IS A RELATIVELY SMALL WHIRLWIND WHICH FORMS AS AN EDDY IN
THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS. THEY DO NOT CONNECT WITH ANY CLOUD-BASE ROTATION
AND ARE NOT TORNADOES. SINCE THEIR ORIGIN IS ASSOCIATED WITH CUMULIFORM
CLOUDS, GUSTNADOES WILL BE CLASSIFIED AS THUNDERSTORM WIND EVENTS.
GUSTNADOES FORM DUE TO NON-TORNADIC STRAIGHT-LINE WIND FEATURES IN THE
DOWNDRAFT (OUTFLOW), SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE GUST FRONT OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS. GUSTNADOES TEND TO BE NOTICED WHEN THE VORTICES LOFT
SUFFICIENT DEBRIS OR FORM CONDENSATION CLOUDS TO BE VISIBLE, ALTHOUGH IT
IS THE WIND THAT MAKES THE GUSTNADO, SIMILARLY TO TORNADOES. GUSTNADOES
DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH TORNADOES STRUCTURALLY OR
DYNAMICALLY IN REGARD TO VERTICAL REDEVELOPMENT, INTENSITY, LONGEVITY,
OR FORMATIVE PROCESS, AS TORNADOES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MESOCYCLONES
WITHIN THE INFLOW (UPDRAFT) OF THE STORM, AND NOT THE OUTFLOW.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALTHOUGH NOT CLASSIFIED AS A TORNADO,
GUSTNADOES CAN PRODUCE DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF AN EF0 OR LOW END
EF1 TORNADO OR ROUGHLY IN THE 70 TO 90 MPH RANGE.
HEDEN/JME/DAG/TL/HYDE COUNTY EMA
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