Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 47, NWS Columbia, SC

May 13, 20028 counties in South Carolina; Columbia County, McDuffie County, Richmond County, Georgia

NWS Columbia, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 2002, 6:21 PM EDT for 8 counties in South Carolina; Columbia County, McDuffie County, Richmond County, Georgia. It was in force for 54 min. 9 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 13, 2002, 6:21 PM EDT (22:21 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2002, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Columbia County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Aiken County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Lexington County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Richland County, SC, Saluda County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:23 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 13, 6:25 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 ESaluda, SCSKYWARN spotter reported trees down on hwy 39.
May 13, 6:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 ESaluda, SCEOC reported trees down in Saluda.
May 13, 6:30 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EThomson, GASheriff reported trees down on cars.
May 13, 6:33 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 ENorth Augusta, SCHighway dept. reported trees down in North Augusta, Jackson, and Wagener.
May 13, 6:36 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60 ECountywide, SCSheriff and HWY Patrol reported numerous trees down across roads and interstate 20.
May 13, 6:42 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EJenkinsville, SCSKYWARN spotter reported trees down on hwy 26 and SC secondary rd 20-70.
May 13, 6:43 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60 ECountywide, GAEOC reported trees down across the county.
May 13, 6:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EEdgefield, SCSheriff reported trees down north of Edgefield.
May 13, 6:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EWinfield, GAEmergency Manager reported several trees down in Winfield.

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 13, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 194 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 2002-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1967 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 2002-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1967 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
474 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KCAE 132221
SVRCAE
GAC073-189-245-SCC003-037-039-063-065-071-079-081-132315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
618 PM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
    RICHMOND COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
    MCDUFFIE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
    COLUMBIA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
    FAIRFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    NEWBERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    RICHLAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    LEXINGTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    SALUDA COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    MCCORMICK COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    EDGEFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
    AIKEN COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT.

* AT 618 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR NEWBERRY TO SALUDA TO   
  LAKE THURMOND TO THOMSON. MOVEMENT WAS EASTWARD AT 50 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF TH ESE STORMS INCLUDE...
    AIKEN.
    AUGUSTA.
    EDGEFIELD.
    THOMSON.
    JOHNSTON.
    RIDGE SPRING.
    BATESBURG.
    HARLEM.
    LEESVILLE.
    IRMO.
    COLUMBIA.
    SEVEN OAKS.
    MARTINEZ.

EXPECT WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 70 MPH WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR USUALLY OFFERS
THE BEST PROTECTION FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

LAT...LON 3438 8132 3341 8288 3339 8196 3432 8073

RC/JL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Newberry, Saluda45 min
May 13, 5:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEMcCormick38 min
May 13, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAELancaster44 min
May 13, 6:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEKershaw41 min
May 13, 7:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAELee34 min
May 13, 7:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEColumbia, Richmond26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2002Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.