Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Columbia, SC

March 15, 20084 counties in South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 15, 2008, 4:40 PM EDT for 4 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 50 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 15, 2008, 4:40 PM EDT (20:40 UTC)
Expired
Mar 15, 2008, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Fairfield County, SC, Lexington County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Richland County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:42 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 15, 5:02 PM EDTHAIL 1.756 Wsw Blythewood, SCOBSERVER REPORTS GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL COVERING YARD.
Mar 15, 5:04 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUDIrmo, SCFUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED AT 1-26 AND LAKE MURRAY BLVD.
Mar 15, 5:25 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUD1 E Irmo, SCSHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTS FUNNEL CLOUD AT 1-26 INTERCHANGE IN IRMO.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 15, 11:02 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr
Mar 15, 4:36 PM EDTTornado Watch PDSSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 175 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 12:00Z on 2008-03-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 585 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 12:00Z on 2008-03-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 71 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
585 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-85 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KCAE 152041 RRA
TORCAE
SCC039-063-071-079-152130-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0013.080315T2040Z-080315T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
440 PM EDT SAT MAR 15 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHEASTERN NEWBERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  NORTHWESTERN RICHLAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN LEXINGTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 438 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 16 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF IRMO...OR ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEWBERRY...
  MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO 
  ST. ANDREWS...CHAPIN...FOREST ACRES...ARCADIA 
  LAKES...DENTSVILLE AND WOODFIELDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR
EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

LARGE HAIL TO GOLF BALL SIZE IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA TOLL FREE
AT 1 800 7 7 5 7 1 9 9.

LAT...LON 3420 8086 3416 8084 3402 8090 3404 8148
      3406 8149 3407 8147 3408 8149 3431 8155
      3430 8081 3429 8081
TIME...MOT...LOC 2040Z 276DEG 54KT 3421 8140

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 15, 1:34 AM EDTLake Wind AdvisoryCAEAiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon and 10 more22 hr
Mar 15, 9:25 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Newberry23 min
Mar 15, 3:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield24 min
Mar 15, 3:58 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield17 min
Mar 15, 4:04 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry41 min
Mar 15, 4:06 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELancaster24 min
Mar 15, 4:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Richland44 min
Mar 15, 4:17 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEMcCormick43 min
Mar 15, 4:25 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEKershaw, Lancaster35 min
Mar 15, 4:41 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEChesterfield34 min
Mar 15, 4:50 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEEdgefield, McCormick, Saluda40 min
Mar 15, 5:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEKershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter44 min
Mar 15, 5:21 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken, Edgefield, Lexington, Saluda39 min
Mar 15, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEMcCormick52 min
Mar 15, 5:30 PM EDTTornado WarningCAERichland30 min
Mar 15, 5:36 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEEdgefield, McCormick39 min
Mar 15, 5:46 PM EDTTornado WarningCAELee44 min
Mar 15, 5:50 PM EDTTornado WarningCAECalhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland40 min
Mar 15, 5:56 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry, Saluda34 min
Mar 15, 6:03 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken, Edgefield, McCormick42 min
Mar 15, 6:18 PM EDTTornado WarningCAECalhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter42 min
Mar 15, 6:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Lexington, Richland34 min
Mar 15, 6:32 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg43 min
Mar 15, 6:34 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken, Barnwell41 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEClarendon14 min
Mar 15, 7:14 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEBamberg, Orangeburg46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

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