Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Columbia, SC

May 17, 1990Lexington County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1990, 3:00 PM EDT for Lexington County, South Carolina. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 1990, 3:00 PM EDT (19:00 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1990, 4:00 PM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Lexington 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

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 162 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1990-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1008 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1990-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1008 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-60 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
932 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCAE 171900
SVRCAE
SCC063-172000-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
300 PM EDT THU MAY 17 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN  SOUTH CAROLINA
 
   ...LEXINGTON COUNTY
 
WEATHER RADAR AT 2:55 PM EDT INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 20
MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA MOVING EASTWARD AT 35
TO 40 MPH.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 17, 1:13 PM EDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
SCZ003>006-171800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
110 PM EDT THU MAY 17 1990

..A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CAROLINA
UNTIL 9 PM EDT..

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 1 PM EDT  SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM JUST SOUTH OF CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA TO
ABBEVILLE COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD
THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS WERE
MOVING TOWARD NEWBERRY..CHESTERFIELD..AND FAIRFIELD COUNTIES AND
WILL LIKELY BE AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE MIDLANDS AND EASTERN PIEDMONT
OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME TSEVERE WITH STRONG AND
DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL. INTERESTS THROUGHOUT THE WATCH
AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION
IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

BLP
Special weather statement, May 17, 2:16 PM EDT, 44 minutes before
SCZ003>006-171900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
210 PM EDT THU MAY 17 1990

..A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CAROLINA
UNTIL 9 PM EDT..

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 2 PM EDT SHOWED SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST NEWBERRY COUNTY AND NORTHERN FAIRFIELD
COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE GENERALLY MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 25 TO
30 MPH. A CHECK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND SEVERE WEATHER
SPOTTERS IN THESE AREAS REVEALED NO KNOWN SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS TIME
ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAIN WAS NOTED IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY.

THESE STORMS STILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE WITH STRONG AND
DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL. INTERESTS THROUGHOUT THE WATCH
AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF A
THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

IF YOU KNOW OF ANY SEVERE WEATHER IN YOUR AREA..CONTACT YOUR LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT OR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE AND ASK THEM TO RELAY
THE INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

BLP

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.