Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 271
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 6, 2003, 2:40 PM EDT for 26 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 6, 2003, 2:40 PM EDT (18:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 6, 2003, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 26 counties
Aiken County, SC, Allendale County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Berkeley County, SC, Calhoun County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Clarendon County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Darlington County, SC, Dillon County, SC, Dorchester County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Florence County, SC, Georgetown County, SC, Hampton County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, Lee County, SC, Lexington County, SC, Marion County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC, Richland County, SC, Saluda County, SC, Sumter County, SC, Williamsburg County, SC
The radar
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:42 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.
Warnings issued inside it
19 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 3:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Edgefield, Saluda | 45 min |
| May 6, 4:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Aiken, Lexington | 49 min |
| May 6, 4:29 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Richland | 46 min |
| May 6, 4:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Aiken | 42 min |
| May 6, 4:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Lee, Sumter | 46 min |
| May 6, 5:07 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILM | Florence | 68 min |
| May 6, 5:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Calhoun | 46 min |
| May 6, 5:18 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAE | Aiken | 27 min |
| May 6, 5:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILM | Williamsburg | 55 min |
| May 6, 5:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Berkeley | 58 min |
| May 6, 6:08 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Colleton, Dorchester | 52 min |
| May 6, 6:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Dorchester | 33 min |
| May 6, 6:37 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | ILM | Georgetown | 38 min |
| May 6, 6:47 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Berkeley | 58 min |
| May 6, 6:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Dorchester | 37 min |
| May 6, 6:58 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Berkeley, Dorchester | 62 min |
| May 6, 7:03 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CHS | Charleston | 27 min |
| May 6, 7:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Colleton | 63 min |
| May 6, 7:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Charleston | 40 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 122 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 870 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -21 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 821 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 60 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 80 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 127 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 4.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 061840
SEL1
SPC WW 061840
GAZ000-SCZ000-CWZ000-070000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 271
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
240 PM EDT TUE MAY 6 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
A SMALL PART OF EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
SOUTH CAROLINA
COASTAL WATERS
EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 240 PM UNTIL 800
PM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 60 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FLORENCE SOUTH CAROLINA
TO 50 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 266...WW 268...WW 269...WW
270...
DISCUSSION...LINE OF SUPERCELLS...POTENTIALLY TORNADIC...CONTINUES
MOVING ESEWD AT 40 MPH INTO SC/CENTRAL GA. INSTABILITY GRADIENT
EXTENDS EWD ACROSS NRN SC...SUGGESTING THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE
EAST FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS. LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND PRESENCE OF
SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL ENHANCE THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES GIVEN THE
STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28035.
...EVANS
324,0785 324,0815 343,0815 342,0785SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 11:05 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Aiken, Berkeley, Calhoun, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon and 17 more | 3 hr |
| May 6, 1:55 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and 24 more | 6 hr |
| May 6, 2:53 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Abbeville, Aiken, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Chesterfield and 22 more | 2 hr |
| May 6, 6:23 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Aiken, Dillon, Florence, Sumter | 2 hr |
| May 6, 1:30 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Abbeville, Anderson, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick | 7 hr |
| May 6, 2:18 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley and 27 more | 117 min |
| May 6, 4:41 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell and 23 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 2003Every tornado watch 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.