Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Charleston, SC

March 3, 1991Berkeley County, Williamsburg County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 1991, 9:36 AM EST for Berkeley County, Williamsburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 54 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 3, 1991, 9:36 AM EST (14:36 UTC)
Expired
Mar 3, 1991, 10:30 AM EST
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Berkeley County, SC, Williamsburg County, SC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 3, 9:45 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Williamsburg, 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, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 59 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

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Mar 3, 6:42 AM EST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
GAZ-009-010-012-013-014-015 031230

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAVANNAH GA
640 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 27 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM...

...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
MUCH OF SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR LOWNDES COUNTY
WILL EXPIRE AT 645 AM THIS MORNING. HOWEVER ALL SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
COUNTIES EAST OF A LINE FROM AUGUSTA SOUTH THROUGH WAYCROSS HAVE
AN AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND
GUSTY WINDS. WINDS IN SAVANNAH DURING THE PAST HOUR HAVE GUSTED TO
35 MILES PER HOUR WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN.

THIS ENTIRE AREAq OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING TO THE NORTH
NORTHEAST AT NEAR 50 MILES PER HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 7:09 AM EST, 2 hours 27 minutes before
GAZ--010-013-014-015 031330

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAVANNAH GA
710 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 27 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM FOR ALL
THE SOUTHEAST GEORGIA COUNTIES...

...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
MUCH OF SOUTHEAST GEORGIA WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDESTORMS IN A LINE
FROM BULLOCH COUNTY EXTENDING SOUTH TO JUST EAST OF WAYCROSS.

THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 50
MILES PER HOUR. WITH THIS MOVEMENT THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL
REACH THE IMMEDIATE COAST WITH ONE TO ONE AND A HALF HOURS AND
CONTINUE INTO THE ATLANTIC.

PERSONS IN THE SOUTHEAST COASTAL COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 7:41 AM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
SC007-008-031330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
630 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE MIDLANDS AND COASTAL COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL NOON...

RADAR AND SURFACE REPORTS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH
THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...OVER MOST OF SOUTH
CAROLINA.  THE RAIN EXTENDED INTO THE ADJACENT AREAS OF EASTERN
GEORGIA.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERYj HEAVY RAIN WERE IN A WIDE BAND FROM NEAR
MANNING EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR SAVANNAH GEORGIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TOWARDS THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

HSA
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 7:44 AM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SC007-008-031330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTED FOR TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
730 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE MIDLANDS AND COASTAL COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL NOON...

RADAR AND SURFACE REPORTS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH
THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...OVER MOST OF SOUTH
CAROLINA.  THE RAIN EXTENDED INTO THE ADJACENT AREAS OF EASTERN
GEORGIA.
n
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE IN A WIDE BAND FROM NEAR
MANNING EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR SAVANNAH GEORGIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TOWARDS THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

HSA
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 8:41 AM EST, 55 minutes before
SC007-008-031430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
830 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE MIDLANDS AND COASTAL COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL NOON...

A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS
AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WERE MOVING ACROSS THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA.  THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE OVER THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTH COAST FROM JUST WEST OF CHARLESTON TO BEAUFORT.

PERSONS ALONG THE COAST SHOULD KEEP ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS WITHIN THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS. BE PREPARED TO
MOVE TO SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH CAROLINA...A LARGE AREA OF RAIN
AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
THE PRECIPITATION EXTENDED INTO EASTERN GEORGIA AND THE LOWER

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
OLIVER
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 8:45 AM EST, 51 minutes before
SC007-008-031430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
830 AM EST SUN MAR 3 1991

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE MIDLANDS AND COASTAL COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL NOON...

A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS
AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WERE MOVING ACROSS THE COASTAL COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA.  THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE OVER THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTH COAST FROM JUST WEST OF CHARLESTON TO BEAUFORT.

PERSONS ALONG THE COAST SHOULD KEEP ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS WITHIN THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS. BE PREPARED TO
MOVE TO SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH CAROLINA...A LARGE AREA OF RAIN
AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
THE PRECIPITATION EXTENDED INTO EASTERN GEORGIA AND THE LOWER
PART OF NORTH CAROLINA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO...TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
OLIVER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 4:42 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSDorchester48 min
Mar 3, 9:00 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley, Dorchester30 min
Mar 3, 9:09 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSCharleston36 min
Mar 3, 9:26 AM ESTTornado WarningCHSBerkeley, Williamsburg64 min
Mar 3, 9:52 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSGeorgetown38 min
Mar 3, 10:14 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSHorry61 min
Mar 3, 2:11 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSJasper64 min
Mar 3, 2:11 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBeaufort64 min
Mar 3, 3:16 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSHampton, Jasper59 min
Mar 3, 3:54 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSColleton66 min
Mar 3, 4:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSDorchester64 min
Mar 3, 4:39 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley, Charleston66 min
Mar 3, 5:19 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSWilliamsburg41 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.