Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 33, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1998, 5:11 PM EDT for Oconee County, South Carolina. It was in force for 34 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
- May 7, 1998, 5:11 PM EDT (21:11 UTC)
- Expired
- May 7, 1998, 5:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
- Area
- Whole counties
County Oconee County, SC
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 5:25 PM EDT | Tornado F0 | Oakway, SC | A weak tornado briefly touched down in the town of Oakway downing trees and blowing roofs off outbuildings. The tornado was seen by several citizens and weather spotters. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 5:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 203 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
- 650 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -129 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 521 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 68 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 193 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 5 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -3.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KGSP 072111 RRA TORGSP SCC073-072145- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 511 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... OCONEE COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA * UNTIL 545 PM EDT * AT 508 PM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 3 SOUTHWEST OF WESTMINSTER... MOVING EAST- SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... OAKWAY AT 520 PM TOKEENA 525 PM PEOPLE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE ACTION NOW TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES. GO TO YOUR BASEMENT...THE CENTER OF BUILDINGS...COVER YOUR HEAD. DO NOT GO NEARf DOORS AND WINDOWS. GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES AND GO TO A STURDY BUILDING OR A DITCH. MOYER
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.
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 7, 2:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 7, 2:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
240 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
CAE/FFC/RAH: TSTMS WITH HVY RAIN...POSS SVR TONIGHT. HANG ONTO
SMALL POPS THRU FRIDAY.
INITIAL BAND OF CONVECTION GETTING READY TO CLEAR EASTERN FRINGES
OF CWA & IN ITS WAKE...ATMOSPHERE SHOULD RECOVER QUICKLY WITH
AS SUNSHINE RETURNED TO HELP DESTABILIZE. ALREADY TSTMS DEVELOPING
RAPIDLY IN EAST TENNESSEE & WILL SPREAD EAST BACK INTO FA LATER
THIS AFTERNOON & EVENING. STRONG OMEGA...FAVORABLE LEFT EXIT REGION
POS OF 25H JET...UPPER DIFFLUENCE...INCREASING VWP AND LLVL RH RETURN
ALL LEADS TO IMPRESSIVE SVR CHCS INTO TONIGHT. WARM FRONT LIES JUST
TO THE SOUTH/WEST OF FA & WILL CONT TO LIFT NWD WITH BEST TORNADO
THREAT ALONG THIS BNDRY.
THETA-E & HIGHER PW AXIS WILL SHIFT FROM ERN TENN THIS AFTERNOON
INTO AN E-W ORIENTATION ACRS N GA/N SC. LOCALIZED 1-2 AMTS WILL
LIKELY DEVELOP WITH STMS TONIGHT BUT DEBATABLE IF THE DURATION OF
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE LONG ENOUGH FOR WIDESPREAD FLDG TO EVOLVE.
OMEGA & DEEP MOISTURE CUTS OFF TWDS 12Z WITH SFC & 85H FNT MOVING
ACRS FA DURING FRIDAY MORNING. LLVL DRYING PROGGED DURING DAY
...BUT WERE STILL UNSTABLE AS UPPER LOW REMAINS OVER THE AREA.
SO...STILL WOULD LIKE TO HANG ONTO SMALL POPS THRU FRIDAY.
AVL 58/71/53/77 6312
CLT 63/77/58/83 6412
GSP 62/78/57/82 6312
CSHIn the hours before
Local storm report, May 7, 4:48 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
448 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
446 PM 8 SW CLAYTON GA .50 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 RABUN PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN
THE LAKE AREA OF RABUN
COUNTY.
RWHLocal storm report, May 7, 4:48 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
448 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
446 PM 8 SW CLAYTON GA .50 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 RABUN PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN
THE LAKE AREA OF RABUN
COUNTY.
RWHLocal storm report, May 7, 4:51 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
451 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
450 PM MARSHALL NC .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 MADISON DIME HAIL FALLING IN TOWN.
RWHLocal storm report, May 7, 4:51 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
451 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
450 PM MARSHALL NC .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 MADISON DIME HAIL FALLING IN TOWN.
RWHLocal storm report, May 7, 5:01 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
501 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
453 PM TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK GA 2.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 RABUN PARK OFFICIALS REPORT
BASEBALL SIZE HAIL.
450 PM GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN NC .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 AVERY HAM RADIO SPOTTER REPORTED
DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR PARK
ENTRANCE.
RWHLocal storm report, May 7, 5:01 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
501 PM EDT THU MAY 7 1998
TIME (EDT) .....CITY LOCATION....... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
453 PM TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK GA 2.75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 RABUN PARK OFFICIALS REPORT
BASEBALL SIZE HAIL.
450 PM GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN NC .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/98 AVERY HAM RADIO SPOTTER REPORTED
DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR PARK
ENTRANCE.
RWHThe office that day
Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 4:56 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Oconee | 59 min |
| May 7, 5:32 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Anderson | 63 min |
| May 7, 6:14 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Abbeville, Anderson | 46 min |
| May 7, 6:23 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Greenwood | 47 min |
| May 7, 6:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Oconee | 50 min |
| May 7, 7:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GSP | Oconee | 49 min |
| May 7, 7:45 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GSP | Anderson | 50 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.