Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

April 8, 1999Abbeville County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 8, 1999, 5:13 PM EDT for Abbeville County, South Carolina. It was in force for 47 min. 4 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 8, 1999, 5:13 PM EDT (21:13 UTC)
Expired: Apr 8, 1999, 6:00 PM EDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Whole counties

County Abbeville County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:15 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
Apr 8, 5:25 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Lowndesville, SC
Apr 8, 5:25 PM EDT	Hail 2.5	Lowndesville, SC
Apr 8, 5:30 PM EDT	Hail 1.75	Abbeville, SC
Apr 8, 5:45 PM EDT	Hail 1.75	Lowndesville, SC

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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 211 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: 794 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -97 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 904 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 118 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGSP 082113 RRA
TORGSP
SCC001-082200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
513 PM EDT THU APR 8 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 600 PM EDT

* AT 511 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 7 MILES NORTH OF CALHOUN FALLS OR 5 MILES
  NORTH OF LATIMER... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LATIMER AT 520 PM EDT
  CALHOUN FALLS AT 525 PM EDT
  WATTS AT 530 PM EDT
  CALHOUN FALLS STATE PARK AT 535 PM EDT

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 NEAR 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 Apr 8, 1:35 PM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 8, 1:35 PM EDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
135 PM EDT THU APR 8 1999

UPPER IMPULSE TO CROSS REGION OVERNIGHT WITH DEEP MOISTURE IN
PLACE. DRYING NOTED IN MID AND UPPER LEVELS FRI AND ALTHOUGH UPPER
DYNAMICS LACKING FRI AND FRI NIGHT...SPEED/DIRECTIONAL SHEAR
PERSIST AND INSTABILITY INCREASES WHILE NOSE OF SUPTROPICAL JET
MAX MOVES OVER AREA. MOISTURE AXIS APPROACHES SAVANNAH VALLEY
FROM THE SW LATE FRI NIGHT WITH ARRIVAL OF MID LEVEL LIFT. BACK
DOOR FRONT TO DROP INTO NC LATE FRI NIGHT STALLING NEAR I-40 SAT.
TEMPERATURES NEAR PERSISTANCE WITH WARM SECTOR IN PLACE. CLOUD
COVER SAT TO MODERATE MAXIMUMS. MOISTURE TO HOLD MINIMUMS UP.

AVL   56/80/53/76   5445
CLT   58/84/56/83   5334
GSP   59/85/57/82   5334

.GSP...NONE

JAT

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 8, 4:44 PM EDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
444 PM EDT THU APR 08 1999

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

445 PM     2 W REED CREEK            GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/08/99   HART                           QUARTER SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          REED CREEK IN NORTHERN END
                                          OF COUNTY. SCATTERED DIME
                                          TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL.

HG

Local storm report, Apr 8, 4:44 PM EDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
444 PM EDT THU APR 08 1999

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

445 PM     2 W REED CREEK            GA   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/08/99   HART                           QUARTER SIZED HAIL NEAR
                                          REED CREEK IN NORTHERN END
                                          OF COUNTY. SCATTERED DIME
                                          TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL.

HG

Local storm report, Apr 8, 4:49 PM EDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
449 PM EDT THU APR 08 1999

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

430 PM     LAVONIA                   GA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
04/08/99   FRANKLIN                       LAVONIA FIRE CHIEF REPORTS
                                          WIND GUST OF 60 MPH WITH
                                          MARBLE SIZED HAIL.

445 PM     5 SE HARTWELL             GA   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/99   HART                           GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL 4 TO 5
                                          MILES FROM ANDERSON COUNTY
                                          LINE.

HG

Local storm report, Apr 8, 4:49 PM EDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE SPARTANBURG SC
449 PM EDT THU APR 08 1999

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

430 PM     LAVONIA                   GA   60 MPH TSTM GUST
04/08/99   FRANKLIN                       LAVONIA FIRE CHIEF REPORTS
                                          WIND GUST OF 60 MPH WITH
                                          MARBLE SIZED HAIL.

445 PM     5 SE HARTWELL             GA   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/99   HART                           GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL 4 TO 5
                                          MILES FROM ANDERSON COUNTY
                                          LINE.

HG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 8, 4:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Oconee	46 min
Apr 8, 4:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	49 min
Apr 8, 5:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville	48 min
Apr 8, 5:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Anderson	50 min
Apr 8, 7:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenwood	50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 1999 Every tornado warning in 1999 Tornadoes 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.