Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2006

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 87, NWS Wilmington, NC

May 20, 2006Florence County, South Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2006, 8:27 PM EDT for Florence County, South Carolina. It was in force for 21 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 20, 2006, 8:27 PM EDT (00:27 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2006, 8:48 PM EDT
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Florence County, SC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:29 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 20, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 128 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2006-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1652 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2006-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 147 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1652 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1772 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 May 20, 3:29 PM EDT, 4 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 3:29 PM EDT, 4 hours 58 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
329 PM EDT SAT MAY 20 2006

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT AND SUNDAY/...
FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO OUR NW TO DROP INTO THEN AREA TONIGHT AND
LINGER INTO SUNDAY AS IMPULSES IN NW FLOW ALOFT AFFECT THE REGION.
EXPECT TO SEE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NW MOVE INTO THE AREA DURING
THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE
POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...
A MORE SIGNIFICANT FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NW SUNDAY NIGHT
AND MOVE SLOWLY THROUGH THE AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. COULD
SEE WIDELY SCATTERED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING BEFORE THE FRONT GOES THROUGH. DRY WEATHER
IS EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THURSDAY THROUGH
SATURDAY...THE OLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO OSCILLATE ACROSS THE
AREA...YIELDING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS THROUGH THE PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION...
ILL DEFINED W TO E FRONTAL BOUNDARY PAIRED WITH A DEVELOPING
PIEDMONT TROUGH WILL BRING A GENERAL SW SYNOPTIC FLOW WITH A COASTAL
BACKING ON ACCOUNT OF SEA BREEZE. THIS SETUP ALSO SOMETIMES GIVES
RISE TO TRICKY-TO-TIME CONVECTION POPPING UP TO THE NW AND HEADING
THIS WAY. RUC FCST SEEMS RATHER PLAUSIBLE IN TAKING A PIECE OF
ENERGY ACRS THE REGION AROUND 22Z. TSRA WILL BE POSSIBLE AHEAD OF
THIS IMPLUSE THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER PIECE MAY TRAVERSE THE AREA IN
A SIMILAR FASHION JUST AFTER SUNSET SO THE VCTS WILL HAVE TO BE LEFT
IN MOST TERMINALS UNTIL 0300Z OR SO. IF SOME MORE CERTAINTY
REGARDING THE TIMING AND PLACEMENT COMES ABOUT THEN TEMPO GROUPS CAN
BE INSERTED.

&&

.MARINE...
RESIDUAL CONVECTIVE COLD POOL AND ASSOCIATED DISTURBED SURFACE WIND
FIELDS CONTINUE TO AFFECT MAINLY THE OFFSHORE WATERS SOUTH OF THE
FRYING PAN SHOALS BUOY. THE SYNOPTIC SW FLOW HAS REESTABLISHED
ITSELF OVER MOST OTHER AREAS WITH THE SEABREEZE NOW PRODUCING SOLID
15 KT WINDS NEARSHORE WITH A FEW GUSTS NOW RECORDED OVER 20 KNOTS AT
COASTAL MESONET SITES.

AN INDISTINCT BOUNDARY SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE EASTERN CAROLINAS WILL
BECOME MORE DISTINCT OVERNIGHT AS IT LIKELY FOCUSES CONVECTION ALONG
IT. BY MORNING THE FRONT SHOULD BE IN THE MYRTLE BEACH VICINITY.
ALTHOUGH THE FRONT WILL RETURN NORTH DURING THE DAY SUNDAY...EXPECT
TO SEE WINDS SHIFT YET AGAIN LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. MONDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY WILL SEE GENERALLY EASTERLY FLOW WITH THE FRONT FINALLY
SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. BY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...A
CLIMATOLOGICALLY FAVORED SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL REDEVELOP WITH HIGH
PRESSURE OFFSHORE.

ASIDE FROM OCCASIONAL SEABREEZE-INDUCED GUSTS NEARSHORE AROUND 20
KNOTS THROUGH THIS EVENING AND AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING...
WINDS THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD SHOULD REMAIN 15 KT OR LESS. SEAS WILL
BE HIGHEST THROUGH SUNDAY...THEN FALL TO 2-3 FT THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD WITH GENERALLY LIGHTER FLOW EXPECTED.

&&

.ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.
&&

SHORT/LONG TERM...31
AVIATION...05
MARINE...09
Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 3:40 PM EDT, 4 hours 47 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
340 PM EDT SAT MAY 20 2006

NCZ087-096-097-099>101-SCZ017-023-024-032>034-039-046-210830-
ROBESON-BLADEN-PENDER-COLUMBUS-BRUNSWICK-NEW HANOVER-MARLBORO-
DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION-HORRY-WILLIAMSBURG-GEORGETOWN-
340 PM EDT SAT MAY 20 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NORTH
CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM. STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST
THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. A FEW OF THE STRONGER CELLS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF
QUARTERS. STAY TUNED FOR ANY WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE IN WILMINGTON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED.

AMZ250-252-254-256-210830-
SURF CITY TO CAPE FEAR NC OUT 20 NM-
CAPE FEAR NC TO LITTLE RIVER INLET SC OUT 20 NM-
LITTLE RIVER INLET TO MURRELLS INLET SC OUT 20 NM-
MURRELLS INLET TO SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SC OUT 20 NM-
340 PM EDT SAT MAY 20 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE ADJACENT
COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM. STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST
THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. A FEW OF THE STRONGER CELLS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF
QUARTERS. STAY TUNED FOR ANY WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE IN WILMINGTON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

05

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 20, 5:47 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 20, 6:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
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Special weather statement, May 20, 6:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
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    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
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Local storm report, May 20, 7:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 8:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMWilliamsburg49 min
May 20, 8:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMGeorgetown, Horry42 min
May 20, 9:06 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningILM42 min
May 20, 9:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMDarlington49 min
May 20, 10:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMDarlington32 min
May 21, 4:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMDarlington28 min
May 21, 5:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMFlorence23 min
May 21, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMMarion33 min
May 21, 5:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMHorry38 min
May 20, 11:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMRobeson47 min
May 20, 11:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILMBladen16 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2006Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2006

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.