Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Wilmington, NC

May 26, 1997Georgetown County, South Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 26, 1997, 6:45 PM EDT for Georgetown County, South Carolina. It was in force for 45 min. 2 reports 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: May 26, 1997, 6:45 PM EDT (22:45 UTC)
Expired: May 26, 1997, 7:30 PM EDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, NC
Area: Whole counties

County Georgetown County, SC

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 26, 6:50 PM EDT	Hail 1.75	Murrells Inlet, SC	Reported by Fire Chief 1/2 mile north of Murrells Inlet
May 26, 7:15 PM EDT	Hail 0.75	Georgetown, SC	Reported by City Police

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 87 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 360 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 612 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

913 
WUUS1 KILM 262246 RRA
SVRILM
NCZ505-SCC043-262345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING... CORRECTED MARINE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC            SECTION
645 PM EDT MON MAY 26 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM EDT

IN NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA

   ...EASTERN GEORGETOWN

AND A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM EDT
FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA COASTAL WATERS FROM...

   ...SURFSIDE BEACH TO PAWLEYS ISLAND

AT 640 PM EDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED AT MURRELLS INLET
MOVING SOUTHEAST 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE STORM HAS A HISTORY OF
PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. IT WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST BY 650
PM AND REMAIN OF THE COASTAL WATERS UNTIL 730 PM.

IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

SQI

&

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.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 26, 2:29 PM EDT, 4 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 2:29 PM EDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
229 PM EDT MON MAY 26 1997

RAH: PROB NEED TO INCLUDE AN EVE PERIOD WITH 50 OR 60% POPS. THINK THE
POPS CAN BE DROPPED FOR TUE BUT LOWER TEMPS TO LOWER 70S.

CAE: PRESENT FCST LOOKS OK AS LONG AS MAIN AREA OF TRW STAYS IN NC
OTHERWISE MAY NEED AN EVE PERIOD WITH 50 TO 60% POPS.

12Z MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT OF PUSHING THE FNT THROUGH THE AREA
THIS EVENING AND THEN ALL THE WAY INTO FL ON TUE AS THE CANADIAN HI
STRENGTHENS AND MOVES INTO THE NE U.S. TRW HAVE DEVELOPED AHEAD OF THE
FNT ACROSS NC WITH JUST A FEW IN SC. PRESENT MOVEMENT WOULD CONFINE
MOST OF THE ACTIVITY TO SE NC BUT AS THE FNT SAGS SOUTH COULD SEE
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT. PROB BEST TO INCLUDE AND EVE PORTION FOR BOTH NC
AND SC TO ACCOUNT FOR THE TRW AND FROPA. SLIGHTLY HIER POPS FOR SE NC
LOOK OK ATTM. GOOD NE FLOW WILL SET UP BEHIND THE FNT TON AND CONT ON
TUE. NOT MUCH DRYING IS PROGGED TO OCCUR UNTIL TUE EVE SO THE DAYLIGHT
HOURS LOOK TO BE M/CLOUDY BUT DRY. MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF ON BRINGING
THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM OVER THE PLAINS TOWARD THE AREA AND NOW TAKE IT
TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES. IF THIS HAPPENS THERE WILL NOT BE ANYTHING TO
PROVIDE LIFT FOR OVERRUNNING RAIN ON TUE AND THINK POPS CAN BE DROPPED.
LOWS AROUND 60 LOOK FOR TON BUT LOWER 70S ON TUE FOR THE ENTIRE REGION.

CWF: WILL HAVE TO CONT THE SCA/S INTO THE EVE AS THE WINDS GO AROUND TO
THE NE BEHIND THE FNT AND INCREASE BACK TO 20 KT. ONLY SUG ATTM ARE FOR
THE NC WATERS...HOLD WINDS AT 20 KT INTO TUE BUT BRING SEAS UP TO 6 FT
FOR TUE. PRESENT FCST FOR SC WATERS LOOKS GOOD.

ILM EB 059/072 056/070 056 511
FLO EB 060/075 057/072 057 511

IRELAND

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 26, 6:20 PM EDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
1816 PM EDT MON MAY 26 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION..F..

1750 PM    CAPE CARTERET             NC
05/21/97   CARTERET                       LARGE TREE DOWN ACROAS THE
                                          RED BARN ROAD NEAR CAPE
                                          CARTERET

Local storm report, May 26, 6:22 PM EDT, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
616 PM EDT MON MAY 26 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATIONN....

550 PM     CAPE CARTERET             NC
05/26/97   CARTERET                       LARGE TREE DOWN ACROAS THE
                                          RED BARN ROAD NEAR CAPE
                                          CARTERET

Local storm report, May 26, 6:43 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
640 PM EDT MON MAY 26 1997

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

555 PM     CAPE CARTERET             NC
05/26/97   CARTERET                       STAR HILL AND PINE LAKE DRIVE
                                          TREE DOWN OVER POWER LINE

555 PM     STELLA                    NC
05/26/97   CARTERET                       POWER LINES DOWN DUE TO HIGH WINDS
                                          WHITE OAK BLUFF ROAD.

FT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wilmington, NC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 26, 3:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown	34 min
May 26, 6:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown	47 min
May 26, 7:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	58 min
May 26, 7:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown	60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 1997 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.