Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Columbia, SC

May 5, 2009Edgefield County, McCormick County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at May 5, 2009, 11:31 PM EDT for Edgefield County, McCormick County, South Carolina. It was in force for 44 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 5, 2009, 11:31 PM EDT (03:31 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2009, 12:15 AM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Edgefield County, SC, McCormick County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:32 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 223 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2009-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 66 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2009-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 50 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
66 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1561 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS52 KCAE 060331
TORCAE
SCC037-065-060415-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0015.090506T0331Z-090506T0415Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1131 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN MCCORMICK COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  NORTHWESTERN EDGEFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 1215 AM EDT

* AT 1131 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED  
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO JUST WEST     
  OF TROY MOVING EASTWARD NEAR 20 MPH.


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

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 3405 8238 3405 8232 3398 8229 3402 8223
      3397 8219 3397 8216 3399 8215 3398 8204
      3395 8204 3396 8201 3383 8212 3396 8241
TIME...MOT...LOC 0331Z 272DEG 16KT 3399 8236

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KCAE 060346
SVSCAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1146 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

SCC037-065-060415-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0015.000000T0000Z-090506T0415Z/
MCCORMICK SC-EDGEFIELD SC-
1146 PM EDT TUE MAY 5 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 AM EDT FOR
EDGEFIELD AND MCCORMICK COUNTIES...

AT 1141 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A LIKELY TORNADO.  THIS STORM WAS NEAR THE MCCORMICK
AND GREENWOOD COUNTY LINE IN THE WINTERSEAT AREA...MOVING EASTWARD 
NEAR 20 MPH. LONG CANE AND MILLWAY ROAD OR STATE ROAD 24 NEAR THE 
COUNTY LINE IS THREATENED BY THIS STORM.

A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR USUALLY OFFER THE BEST 
PROTECTION. GET UNDER SOMETHING STURDY.

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 3405 8238 3405 8232 3398 8229 3402 8223
      3397 8219 3397 8216 3399 8215 3398 8204
      3395 8204 3396 8201 3383 8212 3396 8241
TIME...MOT...LOC 0341Z 272DEG 16KT 3399 8231

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 11:05 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEMcCormick25 min
May 6, 6:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEOrangeburg27 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.