Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Columbia, SC

March 13, 1991Sumter County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 13, 1991, 7:57 PM EST for Sumter County, South Carolina. It was in force for 63 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
Mar 13, 1991, 7:57 PM EST (00:57 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 1991, 9:00 PM EST
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Sumter County, SC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 13, 8:15 PM ESTHail 0.75Sumter, 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 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 118 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 500 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 146 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
500 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
610 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCAE 140058
TORCAE
SCC085-140200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
757 PM EST WED MAR 13 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN  SOUTH CAROLINA
 
   ...SOUTHERN SUMTER COUNTY
 
WEATHER RADAR SHOWS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVING
THROUGH NORTHERN CALHOUN COUNTY TOWARD SOUTHERN SUMTER COUNTY OF SOUTH
CAROLINA AND THE NORTHERN END OF LAKE MARION. THIS STORM HAS ALREADY
PRODUCED VERY LARGE HAIL AS IT MOVED THROUGH LEXINGTON AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THE WEATHER RADAR STILL INDICATES
POSSIBLE TORNADOS WITH THIS STORM.
 
PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE COVER. THE STORM IS MOVING
IN THE DIRECTION OF CLARENDON COUNTY AND PEOPLE IN CLARENDON COUNTY
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS FOR THEIR AREA.
KELLY
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM!" SEEK SHELTER NOW!

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 13, 7:21 PM ESTTornado WarningCAECalhoun, Lexington, Richland54 min
Mar 13, 8:13 PM ESTTornado WarningCAEClarendon62 min
Mar 13, 8:38 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield67 min
Mar 13, 8:50 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAENewberry55 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.