Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 7, NWS Charleston, SC

March 31, 2002Colleton County, Hampton County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 2002, 2:49 PM EST for Colleton County, Hampton County, South Carolina. It was in force for 41 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
Mar 31, 2002, 2:49 PM EST (19:49 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 2002, 3:30 PM EST
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Colleton County, SC, Hampton County, SC

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 31, 2:50 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50 EHampton, SCSeveral large limbs and powerlines were down.
Mar 31, 2:55 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 50 EWilliams, SCAfew large trees were 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
Mar 31, 1:15 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 84 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 2002-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 775 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 2002-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 97 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
775 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
541 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

844 
WUUS52 KCHS 311949
SVRCHS
SCC029-049-312030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
247 PM EST SUN MAR 31 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  NORTHWESTERN COLLETON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA.
  NORTH CENTRAL HAMPTON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA.

* UNTIL 330 PM EST.

* AT 247 PM EST...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST
  OF HAMPTON...OR ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WILLIAMS...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 60 MPH WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA.

BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH.
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

$$

LAT...LON 3291 8116 3278 8101 3307 8062 3324 8082

NNNN

RVT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 1:54 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSJasper66 min
Mar 31, 1:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSJasper61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 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.