Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 25, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

November 15, 1989Oconee County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Nov 15, 1989, 7:59 PM EST for Oconee County, South Carolina. It was in force for 54 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 15, 1989, 7:59 PM EST (00:59 UTC)
Expired
Nov 15, 1989, 8:53 PM EST
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Oconee County, SC

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 92 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1989-11-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 813 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Athens Municipal, GA at 00:00Z on 1989-11-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 232 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
813 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
916 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
232 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
322 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
7.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KGSP 160100
TORGSP
SCC073-160200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
759 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN  SOUTH CAROLINA
          ...OCONEE
 
POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED BY AMATEUR RADIO IN NORTHEAST HABERSHAM
COUNTY OF GEORGIA MOVING ENE AT ABOUT 35 MPH. ONE INCH HAIL WAS ALSO
REPORTED. THE LONG CREEK AREA OF OCONEE COUNTY APPEARS TO BE IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
TORNADOES WHICH OCCUR AFTER DARK ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. GET TO A
PLACE OF SAFETY NOW!! STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS...BUT GET OUT
OF MOBILE HOMES AND CARS. IF DAMAGE OCCURS NEAR YOU...DO NOT ATTEMPT
TO WALK AROUND IN THE DARK. THERE MAY BE DOWNED POWER LINES.

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, Nov 15, 2:46 PM EST, 5 hours 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
245 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN PIEDMONT...

AT 240 PM RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN ABBEVILLE GREENWOOD
AND LAURENS COUNTIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 40 MPH.
PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN STRONG
GUSTY WIND AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR
FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
REM
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 4:45 PM EST, 3 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
445 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

...DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE IN UPSTATE LATER TONIGHT...

THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PARTS
OF SOUTH CAROLINA...INCLUDING THE UPSTATE...LATER TONIGHT.  A VERY
STRONG STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH TORNADOES...HAVE BEEN OCCURRING
THROUGH THE DAY WEST OF OUR REGION.  MANY WATCHES AND WARNINGS HAVE
BEEN ISSUED ACROSS MISSISSIPPI...ALABAMA...GOERGIA...KENTUCKY...AND
OTHER STATES.

AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THE WORST WEATHER COULD OCCUR IN THE UPSTATE
SOMETIME BETWEEN 900 PM AND 300 AM...BUT SEVERE WEATHER SITUATIONS
CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY SO THE TIMING COULD BE DIFFERENT.  IT IS POSSIBLE
THE SYSTEM COULD WEAKEN AND LESSEN THE THREAT...BUT AT THIS TIME THAT
DOES NOT APPEAR LIKELY.
>
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT THE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG AIRPORT
WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION CAREFULLY AND ISSUE FREQUENT
STATEMENTS.

UNTIL THE BRUNT OF THE WEATHER ARRIVES LATER TONIGHT...THERE IS SOME
POSSIBILITY THAT ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP RAPIDLY
LIKE THE ONE THAT AFFECTED GREENWOOD AND LAURENS COUNTIES EARLIER.

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS AND OTHER SPOTTER GROUPS IN THE UPSTATE SHOULD
PREPARE TO ACTIVATE AT SHORT NOTICE TONIGHT.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SPOTTER REPORTS WERE VERY VALUABLE WHEN THE
FUNNEL CLOUD/TORNADO OCCURRED TnHIS AFTERNOON.

W. JONES/GSP
Local storm report, Nov 15, 5:27 PM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
526 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

330 PM EST     FUNNEL CLOUD OBSERVED FORMING OVER GREENWOOD BY
               EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
335 PM EST     TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN COUNTRY HOMES AREA NORTHEAST OF
               GREENWOOD.  SEVERAL HOMES AND VEHICLES DAMAGED...NOT
               CLEAR YET WHETHER RED CROSS SHELTERS NEEDED...SOME
               VEHICLES DAMAGED...TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
343 PM EST     TORNADO/WATERSPOUT ON GREENWOOD LAKE BY SPOTTERS.
355 PM EST     LAURENS COUNTY DEPUTY FOUND SWATH OF TREE DAMAGE AFTER
               THE FACT NEAR MOUNTVILLE NORTH OF CROSS HILL.  SOME
               POWER OUTAGES AROUND CROSS HILL.  TIME ESTIMATED BASED
               ON RADAR.

WAJ
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 7:12 PM EST, 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREER SC
710 PM EST WED NOV 15 1989

...DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE IN UPSTATE TONIGHT...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EST...

AT 700 PM EST RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER PARTS OF
NORTHEASTERN GEORGIA MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST ABOUT 35 MPH.  IT IS
NOT YET CLEAR WHETHER THESE PARTICULAR STORMS WILL MOVE INTO
OCONEE COUNTY...BUT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL FOLLOW THE
PROGESS OF THE STORMS CAREFULLY AND ISSUE STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS IF
NECESSARY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY DAMAGING TORNADOES CONTINUE OVER
PARTS OF ALABAMA.  THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AND COULD AFFECT THE
UPSTATE LATER TONIGHT.

PEOPLE SHOULD LISTEN FREQUENTLY FOR THE LATEST WEATHER BULLETINS SINCE
THIS IS A DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.  REVIEW TORNADO SAFETY RULES
NOW AND MAKE PLANS FOR WHAT ACTIONS YOU MIGHT TAKE SHOULD A WARNING
BE ISSUED FOR YOUR COUNTY LATER TONIGHT.

IGT IS STILL POSSIBLE THE STORMS COULD WEAKEN BEFORE THEY REACH OUR
AREA...BUT THAT DOES NOT SEEM LIKELY.

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS AND OTHER SPOTTER GROUPS IN THE UPSTATE SHOULD
PREPARE TO ACTIVATE ON SHORT NOTICE TONIGHT.

W. JONES/GSP

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 15, 10:29 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee61 min
Nov 15, 10:42 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPickens63 min
Nov 15, 11:23 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPAbbeville, Anderson67 min
Nov 15, 11:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville, Laurens63 min
Nov 16, 12:16 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPSpartanburg59 min
Nov 16, 12:21 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenwood69 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.