Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2008

Tornado Watch 120

March 15, 200879 counties in Georgia; 20 counties in North Carolina; 39 counties in South Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 15, 2008, 4:36 PM EDT for 79 counties in Georgia; 20 counties in North Carolina; 39 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Mar 15, 2008, 4:36 PM EDT (20:36 UTC)
Expired: Mar 16, 2008, 1:00 AM EDT
In force: 8 hr
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center
Particularly dangerous situation: Yes
Largest hail expected: 2.5 in
Strongest gust expected: 70 kt

All 138 counties

Baldwin County, GA, Barrow County, GA, Bibb County, GA, Bleckley County, GA, Bryan County, GA, Bulloch County, GA, Burke County, GA, Butts County, GA, Candler County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Chatham County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Clarke County, GA, Clayton County, GA, Columbia County, GA, Coweta County, GA, Crawford County, GA, DeKalb County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Effingham County, GA, Elbert County, GA, Emanuel County, GA, Evans County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Fulton County, GA, Glascock County, GA, Greene County, GA, Gwinnett County, GA, Hancock County, GA, Harris County, GA, Heard County, GA, Henry County, GA, Houston County, GA, Jackson County, GA, Jasper County, GA, Jefferson County, GA, Jenkins County, GA, Johnson County, GA, Jones County, GA, Lamar County, GA, Laurens County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, Long County, GA, Macon County, GA, Madison County, GA, Marion County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Meriwether County, GA, Monroe County, GA, Montgomery County, GA, Morgan County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Newton County, GA, Oconee County, GA, Oglethorpe County, GA, Peach County, GA, Pike County, GA, Putnam County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Rockdale County, GA, Schley County, GA, Screven County, GA, Spalding County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taliaferro County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Toombs County, GA, Treutlen County, GA, Troup County, GA, Twiggs County, GA, Upson County, GA, Walton County, GA, Warren County, GA, Washington County, GA, Wheeler County, GA, Wilkes County, GA, Wilkinson County, GA, Anson County, NC, Bladen County, NC, Brunswick County, NC, Columbus County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Hoke County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Lee County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Moore County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Pender County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Robeson County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Scotland County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Union County, NC, Wayne County, NC, Abbeville County, SC, Aiken County, SC, Allendale County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Beaufort County, SC, Berkeley County, SC, Calhoun County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Chester County, SC, Chesterfield County, SC, Clarendon County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Darlington County, SC, Dillon County, SC, Dorchester County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Florence County, SC, Georgetown County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Hampton County, SC, Horry County, SC, Jasper County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, Lancaster County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Lee County, SC, Lexington County, SC, Marion County, SC, Marlboro County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC, Richland County, SC, Saluda County, SC, Sumter County, SC, Union County, SC, Williamsburg County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:38 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes: 90%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes: 70%
Ten or more severe wind reports: 90%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more: 70%
Ten or more severe hail reports: 90%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more: 70%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports: 95%

Warnings issued inside it

126 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 15, 4:38 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Newton, Walton	37 min
Mar 15, 4:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland	50 min
Mar 15, 4:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Greenwood	31 min
Mar 15, 4:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Chesterfield	34 min
Mar 15, 4:42 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Oconee	33 min
Mar 15, 4:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Jasper, Newton	27 min
Mar 15, 4:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Darlington	42 min
Mar 15, 4:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Moore	25 min
Mar 15, 4:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick, Saluda	40 min
Mar 15, 4:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Morgan	24 min
Mar 15, 4:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll, Coweta, Heard	62 min
Mar 15, 4:58 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Abbeville, Anderson	47 min
Mar 15, 4:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Oglethorpe, Wilkes	46 min
Mar 15, 5:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Anson	44 min
Mar 15, 5:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fayette, Fulton	28 min
Mar 15, 5:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Putnam	27 min
Mar 15, 5:04 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Madison	26 min
Mar 15, 5:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Marlboro	40 min
Mar 15, 5:09 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Wilkes	18 min
Mar 15, 5:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Taliaferro	33 min
Mar 15, 5:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Morgan, Newton, Walton	45 min
Mar 15, 5:16 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	RAH	Lee, Moore	29 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, 5:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Greene, Hancock, Taliaferro	23 min
Mar 15, 5:22 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GSP	Greenwood, Laurens	38 min
Mar 15, 5:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Lincoln	52 min
Mar 15, 5:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Elbert	37 min
Mar 15, 5:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Dillon	48 min
Mar 15, 5:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Carroll	30 min
Mar 15, 5:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Madison	16 min
Mar 15, 5:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Richland	30 min
Mar 15, 5:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Clayton, Fayette, Henry	59 min
Mar 15, 5:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Wilkes	13 min
Mar 15, 5:36 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie	39 min
Mar 15, 5:37 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Warren	38 min
Mar 15, 5:39 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Greene, Morgan	36 min
Mar 15, 5:40 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Robeson	35 min
Mar 15, 5:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Greene, Putnam	34 min
Mar 15, 5:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Harnett, Lee	42 min
Mar 15, 5:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Hancock, Warren	45 min
Mar 15, 5:46 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Lee	44 min
Mar 15, 5:47 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Jasper	18 min
Mar 15, 5:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland	40 min
Mar 15, 5:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Fayette, Spalding	24 min
Mar 15, 5:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Newberry, Saluda	34 min
Mar 15, 5:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Darlington, Florence, Marion	47 min
Mar 15, 5:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Glascock, Jefferson	46 min
Mar 15, 6:00 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Burke, McDuffie, Richmond	45 min
Mar 15, 6:01 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Hancock	44 min
Mar 15, 6:03 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Columbia, Richmond	42 min
Mar 15, 6:09 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Butts, Jasper, Spalding	36 min
Mar 15, 6:09 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Columbus	51 min
Mar 15, 6:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Robeson	47 min
Mar 15, 6:18 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter	42 min
Mar 15, 6:20 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Florence, Marion	40 min
Mar 15, 6:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Monroe	21 min
Mar 15, 6:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Robeson	35 min
Mar 15, 6:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Lexington, Richland	34 min
Mar 15, 6:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Glascock, Jefferson	43 min
Mar 15, 6:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg	43 min
Mar 15, 6:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Burke, Richmond	41 min
Mar 15, 6:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Jefferson, Washington	55 min
Mar 15, 6:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Baldwin, Jones, Putnam	40 min
Mar 15, 6:36 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Cumberland, Hoke	54 min
Mar 15, 6:41 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Jenkins, Screven	64 min
Mar 15, 6:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Baldwin, Jones	30 min
Mar 15, 6:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Bladen, Columbus	30 min
Mar 15, 6:46 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Jefferson, Washington	44 min
Mar 15, 6:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Wayne, Wilson	34 min
Mar 15, 6:49 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Berkeley	45 min
Mar 15, 6:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Bibb, Crawford, Monroe	35 min
Mar 15, 6:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	RAH	Sampson	50 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender	59 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Columbus	44 min
Mar 15, 7:01 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Clarendon	14 min
Mar 15, 7:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown, Williamsburg	38 min
Mar 15, 7:09 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Berkeley, Colleton, Dorchester	66 min
Mar 15, 7:11 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Burke	49 min
Mar 15, 7:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Washington, Wilkinson	32 min
Mar 15, 7:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Bamberg, Orangeburg	46 min
Mar 15, 7:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Allendale, Colleton, Hampton	46 min
Mar 15, 7:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Georgetown, Williamsburg	43 min
Mar 15, 7:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Twiggs, Wilkinson	38 min
Mar 15, 7:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Jenkins, Screven	67 min
Mar 15, 7:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Washington	45 min
Mar 15, 7:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	23 min
Mar 15, 7:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Jenkins, Screven	60 min
Mar 15, 7:51 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester	54 min
Mar 15, 7:52 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Emanuel, Jefferson, Johnson	38 min
Mar 15, 7:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Colleton, Hampton	64 min
Mar 15, 7:57 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester	63 min
Mar 15, 7:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Georgetown, Horry	31 min
Mar 15, 8:02 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Laurens	43 min
Mar 15, 8:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Hampton	17 min
Mar 15, 8:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Jefferson, Washington	32 min
Mar 15, 8:13 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Laurens	32 min
Mar 15, 8:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Screven	57 min
Mar 15, 8:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Houston, Twiggs	25 min
Mar 15, 8:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Allendale, Colleton, Hampton	52 min
Mar 15, 8:24 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	FFC	Emanuel	22 min
Mar 15, 8:27 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Jefferson	33 min
Mar 15, 8:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Candler, Jenkins, Screven	91 min
Mar 15, 8:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Berkeley	20 min
Mar 15, 8:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Candler, Jenkins, Screven	29 min
Mar 15, 8:44 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester	46 min
Mar 15, 8:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Emanuel	30 min
Mar 15, 8:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Jasper	56 min
Mar 15, 8:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Johnson, Washington	39 min
Mar 15, 8:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper	66 min
Mar 15, 9:03 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper	42 min
Mar 15, 9:06 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Effingham, Screven	24 min
Mar 15, 9:17 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Effingham, Screven	34 min
Mar 15, 9:25 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton	50 min
Mar 15, 9:34 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Effingham	33 min
Mar 15, 9:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Beaufort, Jasper	35 min
Mar 15, 9:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton	26 min
Mar 15, 9:59 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Beaufort, Jasper	31 min
Mar 15, 10:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Effingham, Screven	45 min
Mar 15, 10:16 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Effingham	29 min
Mar 15, 10:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Emanuel, Treutlen	44 min
Mar 15, 10:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham	50 min
Mar 15, 10:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Chatham, Effingham	30 min
Mar 15, 10:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CHS	Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Tattnall	58 min
Mar 15, 11:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Bryan, Evans, Liberty	43 min
Mar 16, 12:10 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	CHS	Bryan, Chatham, Liberty	35 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 210 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: 33 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -342 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1103 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 196 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 459 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 14, 8:11 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Chattooga and 46 more	64 min
Mar 14, 11:03 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Butts, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas and 26 more	57 min
Mar 15, 1:39 AM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd and 7 more	66 min
Mar 15, 3:57 AM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa and 55 more	93 min
Mar 15, 4:28 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Chattooga and 42 more	3 hr
Mar 15, 7:18 AM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins and 7 more	117 min
Mar 15, 10:38 AM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll and 43 more	67 min
Mar 15, 11:02 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Burke and 73 more	8 hr
Mar 15, 1:22 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Burke and 67 more	83 min
Mar 15, 2:21 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Burke and 57 more	84 min
Mar 15, 3:08 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Barrow, Carroll, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb and 11 more	67 min
Mar 15, 3:39 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Gordon, Murray, Walker and 1 more	2 hr
Mar 15, 5:56 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley and 40 more	64 min
Mar 15, 6:17 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Banks, Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Floyd and 14 more	28 min
Mar 15, 7:41 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Bulloch, Burke, Butts and 52 more	64 min
Mar 15, 11:30 AM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Anson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender and 4 more	60 min
Mar 15, 6:35 PM EDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven and 17 more	25 min
Mar 15, 6:59 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven and 19 more	4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2008 Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 2008 Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2008 Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.