Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 102, NWS Wilmington, NC

August 24, 2002Williamsburg County, South Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 24, 2002, 10:34 PM EDT for Williamsburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 46 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: Aug 24, 2002, 10:34 PM EDT (02:34 UTC)
Expired: Aug 24, 2002, 11:20 PM EDT
In force: 46 min
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, NC
Area: Whole counties

County Williamsburg County, SC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 127 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:37 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
Aug 24, 10:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60 E	Kingstree, SC	Sherriff's department reported trees down.
Aug 24, 10:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60 E	Warsaw, SC	Law enforcement reported 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 nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 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-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: 5026 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -27 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1024 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 13 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

162 
WUUS52 KILM 250234
SVRILM
SCC089-250320-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1034 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY IN NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1120 PM EDT

* AT 1027 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS FROM HEMINGWAY TO 7       
  MILES WEST OF TRIO...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
   EARLES AT 1050 PM

MORE DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP AND AFFECT OTHER COMMUNITIES
IN THE WARNED AREA.

DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH ARE EXPECTED FROM THIS STORM. SEEK
SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN WILMINGTON NC.

.END

$$

TRA

LAT...LON 3378 7943 3341 7999 3335 7968 3378 7935

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 24, 8:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 8:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
840 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

HAVE ALREADY UPDATED THE ZONES TO HANDLE THE CONVECTION COMING INTO
THE COASTAL ZONES. THESE STORMS ARE THRIVING IN HIGH INSTABILITY AND
STRONG CONVERGENCE ALONG A TROUGH. THERE ARE ALSO MANY BOUNDARY
INTERACTIONS CAUSING STORMS TO PULSE RAPIDLY. GIVEN WARM BUT DRY
PROFILE ALOFT WOULD EXPECT THE MAIN THREAT TO BE FROM WIND GUSTS.
WILL NEED TO UPDATE THE ZFP AGAIN LATER TONIGHT WHEN I/LL TAKE A
CLOSER LOOK AT TEMPS AND THE OTHER DETAILS. WILL ALSO DISCONTINUE
THE HEAT ADVSRY AT THIS TIME.

MARINE: DO NOT EXPECT THE PRES GRAD TO RELAX UNTIL LATE. SO WILL
UPDATE TO NUDGE SPEEDS UP A NOTCH AND INCREASE THE COVERAGE OF STMS
EXPECTED.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
FCSTID = 29
KILM  77 93 75 85 /  60 30 30 50
KLBT  75 92 71 84 /  50 30 30 50
KFLO  76 93 72 85 /  50 30 30 50
KMYR  78 90 76 85 /  60 30 30 50

.ILM...
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

PFAFF

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 24, 8:10 PM EDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before

NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-250115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
810 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST...

NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTH OF WALLACE...TO
ELIZABETHTOWN...TO FAIR BLUFF...TO MARION...TO EFFINGHAM...WILL
CONTINUE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST REACHING A MAPLE HILL...TO
BURGAW...TO TABOR CITY...TO PAMPLICO LINE BETWEEN 845 PM AND 915 PM.
THE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY FREQUENT AND INTENSE CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF A HALF TO ONE INCH WILL BE COMMON...EXCEPT UP TO
TWO AND A HALF INCHES POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

MR

Special weather statement, Aug 24, 8:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before

NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-250200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
855 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST
SOUTHEAST...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WEST OF MAPLE
HILL...TO KELLY...TO WHITEVILLE...TO TABOR CITY...TO
PAMPLICO...WILL MOVE TO NORTH OF SURF CITY...TO CASTLE HAYNE...TO
MACO..TO LONGS...TO KINGSTREE LINE BY 1000 PM. THE STORMS WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY FREQUENT AND INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF A HALF TO ONE INCH CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH
ISOLATED AMOUNTS AS HIGH AS TWO INCHES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

MR

Local storm report, Aug 24, 9:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, NC
903 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

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

0850 PM    CLARKTON                  NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/02   BLADEN                         TREES DOWN NEAR CLARKTON.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

MRR

Local storm report, Aug 24, 9:21 PM EDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, NC
921 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

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

0900 PM    WHITEVILLE                NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/02   COLUMBUS                       LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY COLUMBUS
                                          COUNTY 911.

0850 PM    10 NW WHITEVILLE          NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/02   COLUMBUS                       *** 0 DEAD, 0 INJ ***
                                          TREE DOWN ON CAR ON
                                          HIGHWAY 701 NEAR RED HILL
                                          SWAMP. REPORTED BY COLUMBUS
                                          COUNTY 911.

MRR

Local storm report, Aug 24, 9:34 PM EDT, 1 hour before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON, NC
934 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

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

0915 PM    BURGAW                    NC   WIND DAMAGE
08/24/02   PENDER                         TREES DOWN NEAR HIGHWAY 53
                                          AND PINEY ROAD. REPORTED BY
                                          SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.

MRR

Special weather statement, Aug 24, 10:25 PM EDT, 9 minutes before

SCZ039-250325-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1025 PM EDT SAT AUG 24 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EAST ACROSS WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY...

STRONG THUNDERSTOMS EXTENDING FROM LANE NORTHEAST TO JUST EAST OF
KINGSTREE INTO NORTHEAST WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY...WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS
THE REMAINDAER OF WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY. THE STORMS WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY INTENSE AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
DETAILS OR UPDATES.

MR

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wilmington, NC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 24, 9:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	62 min
Aug 24, 10:06 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	ILM		69 min
Aug 24, 10:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown	66 min
Aug 24, 10:51 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	ILM		69 min
Aug 24, 10:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	26 min
Aug 25, 4:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Marion	67 min
Aug 25, 5:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Williamsburg	60 min
Aug 25, 5:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	62 min
Aug 25, 6:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown	57 min
Aug 25, 6:30 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	ILM		90 min
Aug 25, 6:30 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	ILM		90 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2002 Every 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.