Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Columbia, SC

August 16, 1994Lexington County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 16, 1994, 3:11 PM EDT for Lexington County, South Carolina. It was in force for 49 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 1994, 3:11 PM EDT (19:11 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 1994, 4:00 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Lexington County, SC

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 7.2 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 1994-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 537 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 1994-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 131 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
537 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
957 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
131 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
172 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 161912
TORCAE
SCC063-162000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
311 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN  SOUTH CAROLINA
 
   ...LEXINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 310 PM EDT...WSR-88D RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO DEVELOPING
JUST SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF LEXINGTON. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH-^NORTHWEST AT 25
MILES AN HOUR.
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM! SEEK SHELTER NOW!
 
RCJ

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, Aug 16, 1:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
GAZ039-040-061>065-074>077-085>088-SCZ018-025-030-035-040-161915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUGUSTA GA
114 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN AIKEN COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA
EXPIRED AT 100 PM EDT...

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR
MCCORMICK...EDGEFIELD...AIKEN...BARNWELL AND ALLANDALE COUNTIES OF
SOUTH CAROLINA...AS WELL AS
LINCOLN...WILKES...HANCOCK...WARREN...MCDUFFIE...COLUMBIA...RICHMOND...
WASHINGTON...GLASCOCK...JEFFERSON...BURKE...JOHNSON...JENKINS...SCREVEN
AND EMANUEL COUNTIES OF GEORGIA...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL THE COUNTIES MENTIONED ABOVE
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO TONIGHT...

WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 120 PM EDT INDICATES A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO
MODERATE RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING ACROSS
EAST-CENTRAL GEORGIA AND INTO SOUTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING NEAR THE CITY OF BARNWELL AND JUST
SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBIA IN SOUTH CAROINA. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTH
AT 15 MPH.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A STORM
APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES
DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAIN. STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN
AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS MAY ALSO
OCCUR.  BE READY TO MOVE TO SHELTER IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR
AREA.
Local storm report, Aug 16, 2:00 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
200 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

 DATE/TIME      EVENT
16/130 PM EDT   TORNADO REPORTED LEXINGTON COUNTY NEAR RED BANK AND I-20
                AREA. A CAR WAS REPORTED OVERTURNED...NO INFORMATION
                ON INJURIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS TIME.

RCJ
Local storm report, Aug 16, 2:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
200 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

 DATE/TIME      EVENT
16/130 PM EDT   TORNADO REPORTED LEXINGTON COUNTY NEAR RED BANK AND I-20
                AREA. A CAR WAS REPORTED OVERTURNED...NO INFORMATION
                ON INJURIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS TIME.

RCJ
Local storm report, Aug 16, 2:23 PM EDT, 48 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
223 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

 DATE/TIME      EVENT
16/130 PM EDT   TORNADO REPORTED LEXINGTON COUNTY NEAR RED BANK AND I-20
                AREA. A CAR WAS REPORTED OVERTURNED...NO INFORMATION
                ON INJURIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS TIME.

16/135 PM EDT   TIME APPROX. DAMAGE IN THE LEXINTON AREA REPORTED.
                WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND SOME DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS
                AND TREES REPIRTED BY HAM OPERATORS.
Local storm report, Aug 16, 2:24 PM EDT, 47 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
223 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

 DATE/TIME      EVENT
16/130 PM EDT   TORNADO REPORTED LEXINGTON COUNTY NEAR RED BANK AND I-20
                AREA. A CAR WAS REPORTED OVERTURNED...NO INFORMATION
                ON INJURIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS TIME.

16/135 PM EDT   TIME APPROX. DAMAGE IN THE LEXINTON AREA REPORTED.
                WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND SOME DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS
                AND TREES REPIRTED BY HAM OPERATORS.
Local storm report, Aug 16, 2:26 PM EDT, 45 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
226 PM EDT TUE AUG 16 1994

 DATE/TIME      EVENT
16/130 PM EDT   TORNADO REPORTED LEXINGTON COUNTY NEAR RED BANK AND I-20
                AREA. A CAR WAS REPORTED OVERTURNED...NO INFORMATION
                ON INJURIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS TIME.

16/135 PM EDT   TIME APPROX. DAMAGE IN THE LEXINTON AREA REPORTED.
                WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND SOME DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS
                AND TREES REPIRTED BY HAM OPERATORS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 11:53 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEOrangeburg37 min
Aug 16, 12:23 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEOrangeburg37 min
Aug 16, 12:32 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELexington28 min
Aug 16, 12:55 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELexington, Orangeburg50 min
Aug 16, 1:37 PM EDTTornado WarningCAERichland38 min
Aug 16, 1:50 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELexington25 min
Aug 16, 2:09 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry, Richland36 min
Aug 16, 2:13 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELexington47 min
Aug 16, 2:17 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield43 min
Aug 16, 2:54 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry51 min
Aug 16, 3:00 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEKershaw45 min
Aug 16, 3:24 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEChester51 min
Aug 16, 3:44 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry46 min
Aug 16, 4:13 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield47 min
Aug 16, 4:17 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEYork43 min
Aug 16, 5:40 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield50 min
Aug 16, 5:51 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEYork54 min
Aug 16, 6:11 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELexington34 min
Aug 16, 6:49 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEChester26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.