Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Charleston, SC
NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 24, 1989, 3:56 PM EDT for Charleston County, South Carolina. It was in force for 64 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 24, 1989, 3:56 PM EDT (19:56 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 24, 1989, 5:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 64 min
- Issued by
- NWS Charleston, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Charleston County, SC
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 4:00 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Charleston, SC |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 18 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1380 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -115 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 815 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 16 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 19 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 46 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KCHS 241956
TORCHS
SCC019-242100-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
356 PM EDT THU AUG 24 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
...CHARLESTON
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED NEAR UNION HEIGHTS ..MOVING TOWARD MOUNT
PLEASANT.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WIbNDOWS.What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 2:48 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, SC 241 PM EDT THU AUG 24 1989 THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH POSSIBLE HAIL WERE SCATTERED OVER MOST OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. A BAND OF VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM SANTEE TO BRANCHVILLE. ANOTHER BAND OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS FROM HILTON HEAD TO TYBEE ISLAND GEORGIA. MANY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN ALONG WITH POSSIBLE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THE BAND OF STORMS FROM SANTEE TO BRANCHVILLE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SANTEE-COOPER LAKES AND UPPER DORCHESTER COUNTY BY 330PM. IF YOU ARE ON THE SANTEE-COOPER LAKES YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR A SUDDEN CHANGE IN T HE WEATHER AND BOATERS SHOULD MOVE TO SAFE PORT IMMEDIATELY. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TV...RADIO OR NOAA WETHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 3:47 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, SC 341 PM EDT THU AUG 24 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 8PM FOR ALL SOUTH CAROLINA COASTAL COUNTIES... THUNDERSTORMS...MANY WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WERE NUMEROUS IN THE LOWER COASTAL COUNTIES AND THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND ALSO SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. IF YOU ARE IN THE LOWER COASTAL COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA BE PREPARED FOR VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...POSSIBLE HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THOSE DRIVING CAN EXPECT ROADS TO BE FLOODED NEAR THUNDERSTORMS WITH VISIBILITIES DROPPING TO NEAR ZERO. BOATERS ON THE LAKE MOULTRIE SHOULD MAKE FOR A SAFE PORT IMMEDIATELY AS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE APPROACHING THE LAKE. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA FOOT HILLS AND OFFSHORE TO 125 MILES. THOSE BOATING ALONG THE COAST SHOULD PREPARE FOR THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THE STORMS WILL BE MOVINGZ INTO THE COSTAL WATERS SOON. SIMPSON
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.