Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Columbia, SC

March 3, 1991Kershaw County, Lee County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 3, 1991, 5:19 PM EST for Kershaw County, Lee County, South Carolina. It was in force for 56 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 3, 1991, 5:19 PM EST (22:19 UTC)
Expired
Mar 3, 1991, 6:15 PM EST
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Kershaw County, SC, Lee County, SC

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 155 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 1991-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1991-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 637 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
637 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
883 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCAE 032220
SVRCAE
SCC055-061-032315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
519 PM EST SUN MAR 3 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN  SOUTH CAROLINA
 
   ...KERSHAW COUNTY...LEE COUNTY
 
AT 515 PM EDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS IN PROGRESS IN SUMTER COUNTY
NEAR SHAW AFB. ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS DETECTED BY RADAR IN
KERSHAW COUNTY. BOTH THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 40
MPH. THIS RATE OF SPREED WILL TAKE THE STORMS INTO NORTHERN KERSHAW
AND LEE COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR. WINDS GUTS OF 55 MPH WERE
OBSERVED IN SUMTER COUNTY.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEUATHER CONDITIONS.
LOWE

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, Mar 3, 12:23 PM EST, 4 hours 56 minutes before
GAZ007-SCZ004-006-031930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
1225 PM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 5 PM FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA...INCLUDING MOST GEORGIA COUNTIES OF THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH
RIVER AREA...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT
AND MIDLANDS...

AT 1215 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATEA AN AREA OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL GEORIbGA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

RESIDENTS OF THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR VERY HEAVY RAINS...
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS
AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 12:25 PM EST, 4 hours 54 minutes before
GAZ007-SCZ004-006-031930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
1225 PM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 5 PM FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA...INCLUDING MOST GEORGIA COUNTIES OF THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH
RIVER AREA...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT
AND MIDLANDS...

AT 1215 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL GEORIlGA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

RESIDENTS OF THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR VERY HEAVY RAINS...
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS
AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 3:49 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
GAZ007-SCZ004-006-032300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
350 PM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM FOR RICHMOND COUNTY GEORGIA...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA AND WESTERN AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA...INCLUDING ALL GEORGIA AND
SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES OF THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT
AND MIDLANDS...

AT 340 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED
VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM EASTERN GEORIGA TO CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.
THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTH CAROLINA FROM NORTHEAST
AIKEN COUNTY TO BARNWELL COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 45
MPH.

RICHMOND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS CONTINUED TO RECIEVE
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODED ROADWAYS.

RESIDENTS OF THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALfERT FOR PERIODS
OF VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY THUNDERSTORMS WINDS...FLOODING OF
LOW LYING AREA..SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 4:31 PM EST, 48 minutes before
GAZ007-SCZ004-006-032300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
430 PM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM FOR RICHMOND COUNTY GEORGIA...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM FOR WESTERN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT
AND MIDLANDS...

AT 415 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED
VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTCENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM COLUMBIA SOUTHEST TO WALTERBORO AND EAST OF
CAMDEN. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN CENTRAL GEORGIA MOVING IN OUR
DIRECTION. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 45 MPH.

RICHMOND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS CONTINUED TO RECIEVE
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FLOODED ROADWAYS AND SOME AREAS OF THE CITY OF
AUGUSTA AND RICHMOND COUNTY ARE NOW BEING EVACUATED.
RESIDENTS OF THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALERT FOR PERIODS
OF VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY THUNDERSTORMS WINDS...FLOODING OF
LOW LYING AREA..SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 5:00 PM EST, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
505 PM EST SUN MAR 03 1991

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7PM EST...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS ..FOOTHILLS AND
   BOTH PIEDMONTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA THIS EVENING...

AN INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA IS CAUSING
FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON.
THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING IN THE COASTAL PLAINS
AFFECTING THE COUNTIES OF CHARLESTON ..BERKELEY ..DORCHESTER AND
COLLETON. OTHER STRONG STORMS ARE IN PROGESS IN ORANGEBURG COUNTY AND
EASTERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY AT 445 PM. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING
EASTWARD AROUND 45 MPH AND ARE PRODUCING SMALL HAIL ..PEA SIZED ..
AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. MOST STATIONS REPORTED WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 40
MPH WHEN A THUNDERSTORM PASSED NEAR. HEAVY RAINS ARE SWELLING SMALL
RIVERS AND STREAMS TO OR ABOVE BANKFULL IN THE MIDLANDS.

THE LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVBE INTO THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA AREA
BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS WILL CAUSE THE PRECIPITATION TO TAPER OFF
LATER TONIGHT.

LOWE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Columbia, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 10:07 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEMarion36 min
Mar 3, 2:36 PM ESTTornado WarningCAEFairfield, Newberry44 min
Mar 3, 5:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEChesterfield56 min
Mar 3, 5:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFlorence56 min
Mar 3, 6:21 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEDillon, Marion69 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 1991Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991

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.