Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 412
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 18, 2003, 1:10 PM EDT for 23 counties in Georgia; 5 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 2003, 1:10 PM EDT (17:10 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 2003, 7:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 28 counties
Bryan County, GA, Bulloch County, GA, Burke County, GA, Candler County, GA, Chatham County, GA, Effingham County, GA, Emanuel County, GA, Evans County, GA, Glascock County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Jenkins County, GA, Johnson County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Long County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Montgomery County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Screven County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Treutlen County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Allendale County, SC, Beaufort County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Hampton County, SC, Jasper County, SC
The radar
The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:13 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
5 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 3:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Evans, Tattnall | 40 min |
| May 18, 3:48 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CHS | Tattnall | 117 min |
| May 18, 4:35 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CHS | Liberty, Long | 40 min |
| May 18, 4:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FFC | Bleckley, Laurens | 35 min |
| May 18, 5:45 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | CHS | Tattnall | 3 hr |
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, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 193 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
- 180 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -121 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 486 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 123 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 192 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 181704
SEL2
SPC WW 181710
GAZ000-SCZ000-CWZ000-182300-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 412
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
110 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA
COASTAL WATERS
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 110 PM UNTIL 700
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 70 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF AUGUSTA GEORGIA TO 55
MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SAVANNAH GEORGIA.
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 411...
DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG WEDGE BOUNDARY EXPECTED
TO INTENSIFY AS SURFACE HEATING CONTINUES. LOW LEVEL VEERING WIND
PROFILES.... HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE CONTENT AND RELATIVELY
COOL MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES APPEAR CONDUCIVE TO SEVERE PULSE/SHORT
LIVED SUPERCELL STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL/HIGH WINDS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES.
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 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25015.
...CORFIDI
323,0801 311,0810 322,0830 334,0822
WWUS20 KWNS 181704
SEL2
SPC WW 181710
GAZ000-SCZ000-CWZ000-182300-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 412
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
110 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA
COASTAL WATERS
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 110 PM UNTIL 700
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 70 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF AUGUSTA GEORGIA TO 55
MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SAVANNAH GEORGIA.
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 411...
DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG WEDGE BOUNDARY EXPECTED
TO INTENSIFY AS SURFACE HEATING CONTINUES. LOW LEVEL VEERING WIND
PROFILES.... HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE CONTENT AND RELATIVELY
COOL MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES APPEAR CONDUCIVE TO SEVERE PULSE/SHORT
LIVED SUPERCELL STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL/HIGH WINDS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES.
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 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25015.
...CORFIDI
323,0801 311,0810 322,0830 334,0822SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 11:18 AM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baker, Bibb, Butts, Calhoun, Carroll, Chattahoochee and 45 more | 87 min |
| May 18, 12:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baker, Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Calhoun and 58 more | 5 hr |
| May 18, 1:16 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks and 9 more | 119 min |
| May 18, 1:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley and 22 more | 6 hr |
| May 18, 2:10 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baker, Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Calhoun and 50 more | 95 min |
| May 18, 5:57 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Burke, Candler, Columbia, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins and 6 more | 63 min |
| May 18, 6:22 PM EDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley and 22 more | 83 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2003Tornado 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.