Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Columbia, SC

April 24, 1999Aiken County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 24, 1999, 5:39 PM EDT for Aiken County, South Carolina. It was in force for 51 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
Apr 24, 1999, 5:39 PM EDT (21:39 UTC)
Expired
Apr 24, 1999, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Aiken County, SC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 24, 6:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Aiken, SCSheriff reported trees down at hwys 39/391.
Apr 24, 6:05 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Kitchings Mill, SCSheriff reported a few trees down.

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
Apr 24, 4:30 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 168 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 1999-04-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1256 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 1999-04-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 105 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1256 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-147 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1157 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS1 KCAE 242138 RRA
TORCAE
SCC003-242230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
539 PM EDT SAT APR 24 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA SC HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT 

* AT 535 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
  A TORNADO JUST NORTH OF KITCHINGS MILL. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTH 
  AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  WINDSOR AT 600 PM

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO TAKE COVER GO TO A SMALL 
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON 
CARS AND MOBILE HOMES.

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. 

AMATEUR RADIO AND OTHER SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO MONITOR THIS 
STORM AND RELAY REPORTS PROMPTLY TO THE NEAREST NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE OFFICE. 

JDB

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, Apr 24, 3:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SCZ015-016-018-020-021-022-025-026-027-028-029-030-031-035-036-
037-038-041-GAZ040-063-064-065-077-250245-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
347 PM EDT SAT APR 24 1999

THE SEVERE WEATHER 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 SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN GEORGIA:

BURKE         COLUMBIA      LINCOLN       MCDUFFIE      RICHMOND

THE AIRMASS ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA HAS BECOME UNSTABLE DURING THE
PAST FEW HOURS. THE UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND THE AFTERNOON HEATING WILL
COMBINE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

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.

CDL
Special weather statement, Apr 24, 3:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SCZ015-016-018-020-021-022-025-026-027-028-029-030-031-035-036-
037-038-041-GAZ040-063-064-065-077-250245-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
347 PM EDT SAT APR 24 1999

THE SEVERE WEATHER 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 SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN GEORGIA:

BURKE         COLUMBIA      LINCOLN       MCDUFFIE      RICHMOND

THE AIRMASS ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA HAS BECOME UNSTABLE DURING THE
PAST FEW HOURS. THE UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND THE AFTERNOON HEATING WILL
COMBINE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

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.

CDL
Local storm report, Apr 24, 5:09 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
509 PM EDT SAT APR 24 1999

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

500 PM     SALUDA                    SC   2.75 INCH HAIL
04/24/99   SALUDA                         REPORTED BY COUNTY
                                          SHERIFF.

CDL
Local storm report, Apr 24, 5:32 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
532 PM EDT SAT APR 24 1999

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

525 PM     28 NNW AIKEN              SC   2.75 INCH HAIL
04/24/99   AIKEN                          SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED
                                          BASEBALL SIZE HAIL NEAR
                                          MONETTA IN AIKEN COUNTY.

AWP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 24, 3:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg31 min
Apr 24, 4:25 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry65 min
Apr 24, 4:39 PM EDTTornado WarningCAESaluda66 min
Apr 24, 5:20 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken25 min
Apr 24, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBarnwell42 min
Apr 24, 6:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes in 1999

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.