Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Columbia, SC

March 15, 20084 counties in South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 15, 2008, 6:32 PM EDT for 4 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 43 min. 4 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, 6:32 PM EDT (22:32 UTC)
Expired: Mar 15, 2008, 7:15 PM EDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Aiken County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:33 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 15, 6:50 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	2 Se Williston, SC	BARNWELL COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.
Mar 15, 6:54 PM EDT	TORNADO	4 Wnw Blackville, SC	TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AND CONTINUED EASTWARD TOWARD BRANCHVILLE.
Mar 15, 6:54 PM EDT	TORNADO	Branchville, SC	SCETV REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN DOWNTOWN BRANCHVILLE. DAMAGED A FIRE STATION ON SAIRY STREET.
Mar 15, 7:05 PM EDT	TORNADO	Denmark, SC	TREES DOWN IN THE TOWN OF DENMARK.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 15, 11:02 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr
Mar 15, 4:36 PM EDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 110 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: 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 152232
TORCAE
SCC003-009-011-075-152315-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0024.080315T2232Z-080315T2315Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  AIKEN COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHERN ORANGEBURG COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  BARNWELL COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  BAMBERG COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 715 PM EDT

* AT 631 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR AIKEN...
  MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO NEW
  ELLENTON...WILLISTON...BARNWELL...BLACKVILLE...DENMARK...
  BRANCHVILLE...BOWMAN AND BAMBERG

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

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS STORM WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO 
PRODUCE GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE...SEEK 
SHELTER.

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 3313 8086 3308 8093 3308 8095 3302 8108
      3311 8119 3310 8129 3334 8191 3367 8174
      3334 8048
TIME...MOT...LOC 2232Z 285DEG 48KT 3347 8172

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 15, 1:34 AM EDT	Lake Wind Advisory	CAE	Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon and 10 more	22 hr
Mar 15, 9:25 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Newberry	23 min
Mar 15, 3:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield	24 min
Mar 15, 3:58 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Fairfield	17 min
Mar 15, 4:04 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry	41 min
Mar 15, 4:06 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lancaster	24 min
Mar 15, 4:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Richland	44 min
Mar 15, 4:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	McCormick	43 min
Mar 15, 4:25 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Kershaw, Lancaster	35 min
Mar 15, 4:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland	50 min
Mar 15, 4:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Chesterfield	34 min
Mar 15, 4:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick, Saluda	40 min
Mar 15, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter	44 min
Mar 15, 5:21 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, Saluda	39 min
Mar 15, 5:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	McCormick	52 min
Mar 15, 5:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Richland	30 min
Mar 15, 5:36 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick	39 min
Mar 15, 5:46 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lee	44 min
Mar 15, 5:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland	40 min
Mar 15, 5:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry, Saluda	34 min
Mar 15, 6:03 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield, McCormick	42 min
Mar 15, 6:18 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter	42 min
Mar 15, 6:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Lexington, Richland	34 min
Mar 15, 6:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken, Barnwell	41 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Clarendon	14 min
Mar 15, 7:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Bamberg, Orangeburg	46 min

Nearby

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