Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Columbia, SC

February 18, 2009Columbia County, Lincoln County, McDuffie County, Georgia

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2009, 7:24 PM EST for Columbia County, Lincoln County, McDuffie County, Georgia. It was in force for 66 min. 1 report 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: Feb 18, 2009, 7:24 PM EST (00:24 UTC)
Expired: Feb 18, 2009, 8:30 PM EST
In force: 66 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Columbia County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, McDuffie County, GA

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:24 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
Feb 18, 7:50 PM EST	TORNADO	11 Se Washington, GA	THE TORNADO THAT DID EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN WILKES COUNTY CROSSED OVER INTO EXTREME NORTHERN MCDUFFIE COUNTY AND DISSIPATED. ONLY TREES WERE TAKEN DOWN IN MCDUFFIE COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF THE LAKESHORE.

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
Feb 18, 3:32 PM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 193 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: 185 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 94 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 479 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 475 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KCAE 190024
TORCAE
GAC073-181-189-190130-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0001.090219T0024Z-090219T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
724 PM EST WED FEB 18 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  MCDUFFIE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
  COLUMBIA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA
  SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

* UNTIL 830 PM EST

* AT 715 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 31 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF THOMSON...OR ABOUT 14 MILES WEST OF WASHINGTON...
  MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  HARLEM...GROVETOWN AND EVANS

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ONE 
INCH SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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 3365 8259 3364 8254 3366 8252 3366 8250
      3376 8256 3375 8228 3365 8220 3363 8220
      3352 8210 3339 8227 3336 8250 3338 8255
      3362 8265
TIME...MOT...LOC 0023Z 286DEG 46KT 3365 8285

$$

LM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 18, 8:44 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Burke, Richmond	46 min
Feb 19, 12:04 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Burke	41 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

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.