Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 37, NWS Columbia, SC

September 27, 2004Lexington County, Newberry County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Sep 27, 2004, 5:24 PM EDT for Lexington County, Newberry County, South Carolina. It was in force for 36 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: Sep 27, 2004, 5:24 PM EDT (21:24 UTC)
Expired: Sep 27, 2004, 6:00 PM EDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Lexington County, SC, Newberry County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:26 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 tornado 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 27, 3:50 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 199 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: 1064 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 137 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KCAE 272124
TORCAE
SCC063-071-272200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
524 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NEWBERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  LEXINGTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 600 PM EDT

* AT 520 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 17 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF PROSPERITY...OR ABOUT 7 MILES WEST OF LEXINGTON...
  MOVING NORTHWEST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  PROSPERITY BY 540 PM EDT
  NEWBERRY BY 550 PM EDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1, 8 0 0,
7 7 5, 7 1 9 9.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING
FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3395 8143 3407 8126 3449 8166 3434 8186

$$

AWP

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Sep 27, 4:14 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 27, 4:14 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
414 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004

.SHORT TERM...
FORECAST BASED ON MOVEMENT OF JEANNE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT INTO THE
TUESDAY PERIODS. 88D SHOWS BANDS OF SHRA/TSRA CONTINUE TO LIFT
RAPIDLY N/NWD ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. NEW TORNADO WATCH HAS
BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 10 PM FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MIDLANDS.

JEANNE FORECAST TO MOVE NEWD FROM CENTRAL GEORGIA INTO THE PIEDMONT
REGION OVERNIGHT THEN NORTH OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY. WILL CONTINUE
FLOOD WATCH FOR THE AREA WITH AN ADDTIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES EXPECTED
ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. PCPN SHOULD EVENTUALLY TAPER OFF AS
THE SYSTEM LIFTS N/NE OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY. WILL DROP WIND
ADVISORY FOR THE AREA...BUT ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY FOR AREA LAKES
OVERNIGHT WITH WINDS 15 TO 25 WITH GUSTS FROM 30 TO 35.

&&

.LONG TERM...
MUCH BETTER WEATHER ON THE HORIZON ACROSS THE AREA ONCE JEANNE HAS
MOVED AWAY FROM THE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE TO REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA
FROM MID WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND...WITH NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN BY THE
BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO BE CLOSE TO
NORMAL.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
COLUMBIA     69  83  65  80 / 100  50  10  10
AUGUSTA      70  84  63  81 / 100  50  10  10
SUMTER       70  83  66  80 / 100  60  10  10
ORANGEBURG   70  84  66  81 / 100  50  10  10
&&

.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT TONIGHT
     TORNADO WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
     MIDLANDS UNTIL 10 PM
GA...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT TONIGHT
&&

77/77

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 27, 5:35 AM EDT, 11 hours 49 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
535 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2004

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-280913-
AIKEN SC-BAMBERG SC-BARNWELL SC-BURKE GA-CALHOUN SC-CHESTERFIELD SC-
CLARENDON SC-COLUMBIA GA-EDGEFIELD SC-FAIRFIELD SC-KERSHAW SC-
LANCASTER SC-LEE SC-LEXINGTON SC-LINCOLN GA-MCCORMICK SC-MCDUFFIE GA-
NEWBERRY SC-ORANGEBURG SC-RICHLAND SC-RICHMOND GA-SALUDA SC-
SUMTER SC-
535 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2004

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

.DAY ONE...
THE REMNANTS OF JEANNE WILL SPREAD NORTH INTO THE AREA TODAY
PRODUCING A VARIETY OF WEATHER PROBLEMS. THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL
FOR HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING ALONG WITH THE THREAT OF SOME SEVERE WEATHER.
IN ADDITION THE CIRCULATION FROM JEANNE WILL PRODUCE SOME WIND
GUSTS TO 40 MPH WHICH MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE ISOLATED
POWER OUTAGES. FOR MORE DETAILS SEE THE WIND ADVISORY (CAENPWCAE),
THE FLOOD WATCH (CAEFFACAE), AND THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
(CAESPSCAE)ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
SOME RIVER FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
FROM RUNOFF.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED TODAY.

RCC

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 27, 11:32 AM EDT, 5 hours 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1132 AM EDT MON SEP 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1025 AM     TORNADO          4 N MANNING             33.75N 80.22W
09/27/2004                   CLARENDON          SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            *** 4 INJ *** IN CITY OF ALCOLU 2 MOBILE HOMES
            DESTROYED...4 INJURIES TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL.

1025 AM     TORNADO          4 N MANNING             33.75N 80.22W
09/27/2004                   CLARENDON          SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            DAMAGE TO ALCOLU HEAD START SCHOOL...MINOR
            INJURIES...UNKNOWN NUMBER.

&&

CDL

Local storm report, Sep 27, 5:06 PM EDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
506 PM EDT MON SEP 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0145 PM     TSTM WND DMG     9 NE AIKEN              33.63N 81.62W
09/27/2004                   AIKEN              SC   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            BARN DAMAGED, ROOF OFF A HOME, CAMPER DAMAGED. LOTS OF
            TREES DOWN. UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME WHETHER DAMAGE CAUSED BY
            STRAIGHT LINE WIND OR A TORNADO.

&&

DCM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 27, 10:13 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Clarendon	17 min
Sep 27, 1:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken	15 min
Sep 27, 2:07 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken	23 min
Sep 27, 2:54 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lexington, Saluda	36 min
Sep 27, 4:29 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Saluda	31 min
Sep 27, 4:49 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry	26 min
Sep 27, 4:57 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry	33 min
Sep 27, 7:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Lexington	34 min
Sep 27, 7:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Orangeburg	25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2004 Every tornado warning in 2004 Tornadoes in 2004

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.