Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 25, NWS Columbia, SC
NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Sep 3, 1998, 2:11 PM EDT for Orangeburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 34 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
- Sep 3, 1998, 2:11 PM EDT (18:11 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 3, 1998, 2:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Columbia, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Orangeburg County, SC
The radar
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:11 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 2:20 PM EDT | Tornado F0 | Holly Hill, SC | EPD reported two small tornadoes rotating around each other in the swamp east of highway 453. |
| Sep 3, 2:25 PM EDT | Hail 0.88 | Holly Hill, SC | Postal carrier reported nickel size hail in north Holly Hill. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 9:45 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 6.2 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 182 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -31 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 528 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 288 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 433 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
550 WFUS1 KCAE 031816 RRA TORCAE SCC075-031845- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 211 PM EDT THU SEP 3 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA SC HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN ORANGEBURG COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 245 PM EDT * AT 215 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR HARLEYVILLE. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 45 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... HOLLYHILL AT 230 EUTAWVILLE AT 240 THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO AND AT SCHOOL OR IN AN OFFICE BUILDING...GO QUICKLY TO A BASEMENT...INTERIOR HALL OR BATHROOM. STAY OUT OF AUDITORIUMS OR GYMNASIUMS. SJN
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, Sep 3, 10:35 AM EDT, 3 hours 36 minutes before
SCZ015-016-018-020-021-022-025-026-027-028-029-030-031-035- 036-037-038-041-GAZ040-063-064-065-077-032235- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 1035 AM EDT THU SEP 3 1998 THE OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA: AIKEN BAMBERG BARNWELL CALHOUN CHESTERFIELD CLARENDON EDGEFIELD FAIRFIELD KERSHAW LANCASTER LEE LEXINGTON MCCORMICK NEWBERRY ORANGEBURG RICHLAND SALUDA SUMTER THE OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN GEORGIA: BURKE COLUMBIA LINCOLN MCDUFFIE RICHMOND THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM EARL WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING. THE REMNANTS OF EARL WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. THIS WILL PRODUCE A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. AS THE AREA OF RAIN MOVES OVER THE AREA...EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE TORNADOES. THE GREATEST THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL BE EAST OF A LINE FROM LANCASTER SOUTHWEST TO NEWBERRY THEN TO THE AUGUSTA METROPOLITAN AREA. TROPICAL STORMS OR THEIR REMNANTS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA. ALL INTERESTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND KEEP POSTED ON WEATHER STATEMENTS...WATCHES... OR WARNINGS WHICH MAY BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS ARE REQUESTED TO REMAIN ALERT AND MAKE PRELIMINARY PLANS TO DEAL WITH SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD IT OCCUR. SEVERE WEATHER SPOTTERS...INCLUDING AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS... SHOULD MONITOR THIS WEATHER SITUATION AND RELAY REPORTS PROMPTLY TO THE NEAREST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. IN ADDITION...ALL LOCAL AND STATE SLED TERMINAL OPERATORS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO UTILIZE THEIR PRELIMINARY STORM REPORTING SYSTEM TO RELAY WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. PROMPT RELAY OF REAL-TIME REPORTS COULD SUBSTANTIALLY AID THE WARNING PROCESS AND SENSITIZE OTHERS TO THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER. VAUGHAN
Special weather statement, Sep 3, 10:35 AM EDT, 3 hours 36 minutes before
SCZ015-016-018-020-021-022-025-026-027-028-029-030-031-035- 036-037-038-041-GAZ040-063-064-065-077-032235- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 1035 AM EDT THU SEP 3 1998 THE OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA: AIKEN BAMBERG BARNWELL CALHOUN CHESTERFIELD CLARENDON EDGEFIELD FAIRFIELD KERSHAW LANCASTER LEE LEXINGTON MCCORMICK NEWBERRY ORANGEBURG RICHLAND SALUDA SUMTER THE OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN GEORGIA: BURKE COLUMBIA LINCOLN MCDUFFIE RICHMOND THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM EARL WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING. THE REMNANTS OF EARL WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. THIS WILL PRODUCE A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. AS THE AREA OF RAIN MOVES OVER THE AREA...EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE TORNADOES. THE GREATEST THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL BE EAST OF A LINE FROM LANCASTER SOUTHWEST TO NEWBERRY THEN TO THE AUGUSTA METROPOLITAN AREA. TROPICAL STORMS OR THEIR REMNANTS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA. ALL INTERESTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND KEEP POSTED ON WEATHER STATEMENTS...WATCHES... OR WARNINGS WHICH MAY BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS ARE REQUESTED TO REMAIN ALERT AND MAKE PRELIMINARY PLANS TO DEAL WITH SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD IT OCCUR. SEVERE WEATHER SPOTTERS...INCLUDING AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS... SHOULD MONITOR THIS WEATHER SITUATION AND RELAY REPORTS PROMPTLY TO THE NEAREST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. IN ADDITION...ALL LOCAL AND STATE SLED TERMINAL OPERATORS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO UTILIZE THEIR PRELIMINARY STORM REPORTING SYSTEM TO RELAY WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. PROMPT RELAY OF REAL-TIME REPORTS COULD SUBSTANTIALLY AID THE WARNING PROCESS AND SENSITIZE OTHERS TO THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER. VAUGHAN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Columbia, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 1:36 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CAE | Orangeburg | 24 min |
| Sep 3, 4:35 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CAE | Lexington | 6 hr |
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.