Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 75, NWS Columbia, SC

May 15, 2003Chesterfield County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 2003, 9:58 PM EDT for Chesterfield County, South Carolina. It was in force for 47 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 15, 2003, 9:58 PM EDT (01:58 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2003, 10:45 PM EDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Chesterfield County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:59 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 171 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: 51 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -95 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 791 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 144 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 200 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

288 
WUUS52 KCAE 160158
SVRCAE
SCC025-160245-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
957 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
    WESTERN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1045 PM EDT.

* AT 957 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR
    JEFFERSON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. DIME SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN
    REPORTED WITH THIS STORM IN PAGELAND.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
    JEFFERSON.
    MCBEE.
    CAROLINA SAND HILLS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY SHERIFF

LAT...LON 3474 8026 3451 8000 3447 8013 3439 8027
          3447 8032 3450 8032 3452 8035 3458 8037
          3468 8044 3474 8035

&

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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 15, 2:44 PM EDT, 7 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 15, 2:44 PM EDT, 7 hours 14 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
244 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

AREA OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE OUT OF THE NORTHEAST SECTION OF THE CWA
DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE AREA THIS EVENING. AT THIS TIME...DO NOT EXPECT ANY THUNDER THIS
EVENING.

CLOUDINESS SHOULD BEGIN TO CLEAR OVERNIGHT BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY
FRIDAY. COLD FRONT TO NORTH EXPECTED TO DRIFT SLOWLY SOUTHWARD
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...THEN COLD AIR DAMING FOR SUNDAY. WILL CONTINUE
WITH A LOW CHANCE POP THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT THEN 50 PERCENT
SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. WILL CUT MOS TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES
EACH DAY A MOS HAS BEEN A LITTLE HIGH PAST FEW DAYS.

EXTENDED...MON-THU. COLD AIR DAMING EVENT ONGOING AT START. WEAK
NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT TO REMAIN NEAR THE SAVANNAH RIVER MONDAY AND
TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND HIGH
PRESSURE BUILD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST THURSDAY. ENSEMBLES SHOWING BEST
CHANCE OF RAIN SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING WITH LESSER CHANCES
THRU THE WEEK. WILL LOWER MAX TEMPERATURES INTO THE 70S MONDAY AND
TUESDAY OTHERWISE LITTLE OR NO CHANGE TO MOS TEMPERATURES. WILL
CONTINUE CHANCE POPS THROUGH FROPA.

CAE   62  85  66  81 /  20  20  20  50
AGS   60  85  65  84 /  20  20  20  50
SSC   61  85  66  80 /  20  20  20  50
OGB   63  86  66  82 /  20  20  20  50

.CAE...
GA...NONE.
SC...NONE.

CDL

Hazardous weather outlook, May 15, 5:05 AM EDT, 16 hours 53 minutes before

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-151200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
505 AM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP PRIMARILY DURING THE LATE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE MAY CONTAIN WIND GUSTS TO 60
MPH AND UP TO ONE INCH HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

RCC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 15, 7:25 PM EDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before

SCZ015-016-160100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
725 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE INTO PARTS OF LANCASTER AND
CHESTERFIELD COUNTIES THIS EVENING...

AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST OUT OF NORTH
CAROLINA THIS EVENING INTO THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF LANCASTER AND
CHESTERFIELD COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE
PANHANDLE OF LANCASTER COUNTY AND AFFECT THE TOWNS OF HANCOCK AND
VAN WYCK. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD MOVE FARTHER SOUTHWARD OVER NORTHERN
PORTIONS OF LANCASTER AND CHESTERFIELD COUNTIES TO NEAR A LANCASTER..
TRADESVILLE...PAGELAND LINE BY 815 PM. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND
GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH AND BLINDING
RAINFALL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS.

TTH

Special weather statement, May 15, 8:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before

SCZ015-016-160200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
820 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN PARTS OF LANCASTER AND
CHESTERFIELD COUNTIES WITHIN ONE HOUR...

AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHEAST FROM
NEAR CHARLOTTE IN NORTH CAROLINA AND SHOULD MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN
PANHANDLE OF LANCASTER COUNTY NEAR THE TOWNS OF HANCOCK AND VAN WYCK
SHORTLY AFTER 830 PM. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE FARTHER SOUTHEAST INTO
NORTHERN LANCASTER AND CHESTERFIELD COUNTIES AND BE NEAR A LANCASTER
..TRADESVILLE..PAGELAND LINE BY 9 PM. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND
GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH AND VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS.

TTH

Local storm report, May 15, 9:40 PM EDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
940 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

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

939 PM     PAGELAND                  SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/15/03   CHESTERFIELD                   REPORTED BY PAGELAND
                                          POLICE DEPT.

DCM

Local storm report, May 15, 9:44 PM EDT, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
944 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003

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

932 PM     TRADESVILLE               SC   .75 INCH HAIL
05/15/03   LANCASTER                      REPORTED BY TRADESVILLE
                                          VFD FIRE CHIEF.

DCM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 9:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Lancaster	47 min
May 16, 3:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Orangeburg	48 min
May 16, 4:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Richland	30 min
May 16, 4:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Orangeburg	35 min
May 16, 5:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Bamberg	35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2003 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.