Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Columbia, SC

May 10, 1998Orangeburg County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at May 10, 1998, 4:04 PM EDT for Orangeburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 26 min. 5 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 10, 1998, 4:04 PM EDT (20:04 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 1998, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Orangeburg County, SC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 10, 4:05 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Orangeburg, SCSheriff reported trees and powerlines down in Bolentown.
May 10, 4:10 PM EDTHail 1.75Santee, SCSKYWARN spotter reported golf ball size hail.
May 10, 4:12 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60Cordova, SCSheriff reported trees down.
May 10, 4:14 PM EDTHail 1.75Cordova, SCSheriff reported golf ball size hail.
May 10, 4:20 PM EDTHail 1.75Orangeburg, SCSKYWARN spotter reported golf ball size hail.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 10, 2:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 1998-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 315 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 1998-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 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
315 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-133 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1032 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
75 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

154 
WFUS1 KCAE 102005 RRA
TORCAE
SCC075-102030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
404 PM EDT SUN MAY 10 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA SC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ORANGEBURG COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 430 PM EDT 

* AT 400 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED 
  A TORNADO  5 MILES SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN ORANGEBURG. THIS STORM 
  IS MOVING EAST-SOOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH....MOVING SOUTHEAST ALONG 
  US301.

DO NOT STAY IN A CAR OR MOBILE HOME DURING A TORNADO. GO TO  
A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER 
IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT. 

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED 
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT 
AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 3:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEOrangeburg48 min
May 10, 5:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAESumter32 min
May 10, 5:23 PM EDTTornado WarningCAESumter37 min
May 10, 5:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg, Orangeburg43 min
May 10, 5:36 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEClarendon39 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998

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.