Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Columbia, SC

May 4, 2009Fairfield County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2009, 7:08 PM EDT for Fairfield County, South Carolina. It was in force for 37 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 4, 2009, 7:08 PM EDT (23:08 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2009, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Fairfield County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:08 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 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-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 042308
TORCAE
SCC039-042345-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0013.090504T2308Z-090504T2345Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 705 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 14 MILES WEST OF
  WINNSBORO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
  INDICATED COUNTY.

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 3454 8088 3452 8087 3451 8087 3449 8089
      3447 8089 3441 8083 3432 8079 3431 8080
      3436 8134 3443 8135
TIME...MOT...LOC 2307Z 260DEG 22KT 3439 8131

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KCAE 042320
SVSCAE

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

SCC039-042345-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090504T2345Z/
FAIRFIELD SC-
720 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR FAIRFIELD
COUNTY...

AT 717 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A LIKELY TORNADO.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 9 MILES WEST OF
WINNSBORO...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

RADAR TREND INDICATE THE STORM WILL BE IN THE WINNSBORO AREA
AROUND 735 PM.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER.

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 3454 8088 3452 8087 3451 8087 3449 8089
      3447 8089 3441 8083 3432 8079 3431 8080
      3436 8134 3443 8135
TIME...MOT...LOC 2318Z 267DEG 16KT 3439 8123

$$
000 
WWUS52 KCAE 042339
SVSCAE

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

SCC039-042345-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090504T2345Z/
FAIRFIELD SC-
739 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR FAIRFIELD
COUNTY...

AT 732 PM EDT...THE CIRCULATION CENTER OF THE THUNDERSTORM THAT
PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING FOR FAIRFIELD COUNTY WAS NEAR WINNSBORO.
MOVEMENT WAS EASTWARD NEAR 20 MPH.

THIS STORM HAS SHOWN A WEAKENING TREND AND THE THREAT OF A TORNADO
WAS DIMINISHING. 

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 3451 8087 3449 8089 3447 8089 3441 8083
      3432 8079 3431 8080 3437 8117 3444 8118
      3454 8088
TIME...MOT...LOC 2333Z 267DEG 16KT 3439 8115

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 5:56 PM EDTTornado WarningCAENewberry49 min
May 4, 6:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEClarendon, Lee, Sumter58 min
May 4, 6:36 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEFairfield, Newberry39 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.