Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Columbia, SC

May 4, 2009Newberry County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2009, 5:56 PM EDT for Newberry County, South Carolina. It was in force for 49 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
May 4, 2009, 5:56 PM EDT (21:56 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2009, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Newberry County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:56 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
May 4, 6:30 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUD9 Nw Newberry, SCSHERIFFS DEPUTIES SAW FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR JALAPA RD AND PETE HARRIS RD

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

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 225 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 2009-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 647 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 2009-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 82 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
647 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
971 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KCAE 042156
TORCAE
SCC071-042245-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0011.090504T2156Z-090504T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
556 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN NEWBERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 555 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF CHAPPELLS...OR ABOUT 13 MILES EAST OF GREENWOOD...
  MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  SILVERSTREET

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT MONDAY
EVENING FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

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 3423 8193 3429 8189 3431 8187 3435 8178
      3439 8176 3444 8161 3413 8162 3418 8173
      3417 8177 3418 8184 3416 8187 3420 8193
TIME...MOT...LOC 2157Z 265DEG 19KT 3425 8192

$$

LCV
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KCAE 042208
SVSCAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
608 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

SCC071-042245-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-090504T2245Z/
NEWBERRY SC-
608 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR NEWBERRY
COUNTY...

AT 601 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A LIKELY TORNADO.  THE STORM WAS IN THE STATE ROAD 39 
NORTH OF CHAPPELLS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 20 MPH. THE 
AREA BETWEEN MUDLICK AND LONGSHORE IN WESTERN NEWBERRY COUNTY
IS MOST THREATENED BY THIS STORM.

A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR USUALLY OFFERS THE BEST 
PROTECTION FROM TORNADOES.

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 3423 8193 3429 8189 3431 8187 3435 8178
      3439 8176 3444 8161 3413 8162 3418 8173
      3417 8177 3418 8184 3416 8187 3420 8193
TIME...MOT...LOC 2203Z 265DEG 19KT 3425 8188

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 6:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEClarendon, Lee, Sumter58 min
May 4, 6:36 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield, Newberry39 min
May 4, 7:08 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield37 min
May 4, 7:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEClarendon, Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes 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.