Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 26, NWS Charleston, SC

December 9, 2009Chatham County, Effingham County, Georgia; Jasper County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Dec 9, 2009, 1:42 PM EST for Chatham County, Effingham County, Georgia; Jasper County, South Carolina. It was in force for 33 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
Dec 9, 2009, 1:42 PM EST (18:42 UTC)
Expired
Dec 9, 2009, 2:15 PM EST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Chatham County, GA, Effingham County, GA, Jasper County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:44 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
Dec 9, 1:48 PM ESTFUNNEL CLOUDBloomingdale, GAFUNNEL CLOUD REPORT IN BLOOMINGDALE.

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, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 132 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 2009-12-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 52 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 2009-12-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 237 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
52 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-169 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
524 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
237 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
341 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 KCHS 091842
TORCHS
GAC051-103-SCC053-091915-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0026.091209T1842Z-091209T1915Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
142 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CHATHAM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN EFFINGHAM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL JASPER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 215 PM EST

* AT 140 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO...NEAR
  BLOOMINGDALE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  BLOOMINGDALE...MELDRIM...POOLER...MEINHARD...MONTEITH...
  HARDEEVILLE...PURYSBURGH...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND POWER LINES DIRECTLY TO THE
CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 1-888-383-2024.

&&

LAT...LON 3237 8105 3218 8100 3207 8136 3219 8141
TIME...MOT...LOC 1842Z 247DEG 31KT 3218 8130

$$
3 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KCHS 091853
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
153 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

GAC051-103-SCC053-091915-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0026.000000T0000Z-091209T1915Z/
EFFINGHAM GA-CHATHAM GA-JASPER SC-
153 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM EST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL JASPER...NORTHWESTERN CHATHAM AND SOUTHEASTERN EFFINGHAM
COUNTIES...

AT 151 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR MEINHARD...OR
ABOUT 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAVANNAH...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

AT AROUND 148 PM EST...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR 
BLOOMINGDALE.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
BLOOMINGDALE...MEINHARD...MONTEITH...PORT WENTWORTH...HARDEEVILLE AND
PURYSBURGH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY TIME. TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES
AND VEHICLES. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 3211 8131 3220 8132 3237 8105 3218 8100
TIME...MOT...LOC 1852Z 247DEG 31KT 3221 8121

$$
000 
WWUS52 KCHS 091903
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
203 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

GAC103-091912-
/O.CAN.KCHS.TO.W.0026.000000T0000Z-091209T1915Z/
EFFINGHAM GA-
203 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN EFFINGHAM COUNTY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3215 8116 3224 8114 3237 8105 3218 8100
TIME...MOT...LOC 1902Z 247DEG 31KT 3224 8111

$$

GAC051-SCC053-091915-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0026.000000T0000Z-091209T1915Z/
CHATHAM GA-JASPER SC-
203 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM EST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL JASPER AND NORTH CENTRAL CHATHAM COUNTIES...

AT 200 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR LIMEHOUSE...OR
ABOUT 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF BELLINGER HILL AREA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
HARDEEVILLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY TIME. TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES
AND VEHICLES. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

NOTE...ADDITIONAL STRONG STORMS MAY MOVE INTO THE AREA OVER THE NEXT 
HOUR OR TWO. STAY TUNED FOR THE POSSIBILITY FOR ADDITIONAL WARNINGS 
OR STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3215 8116 3224 8114 3237 8105 3218 8100
TIME...MOT...LOC 1902Z 247DEG 31KT 3224 8111

$$
000 
WWUS52 KCHS 091909
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
209 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

GAC051-SCC053-091918-
/O.EXP.KCHS.TO.W.0026.000000T0000Z-091209T1915Z/
CHATHAM GA-JASPER SC-
209 PM EST WED DEC 9 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL JASPER AND NORTH CENTRAL
CHATHAM COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 215 PM EST...

AT 208 PM EST...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH
PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA...THUS THE
TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3215 8116 3224 8114 3237 8105 3218 8100
TIME...MOT...LOC 1908Z 247DEG 31KT 3226 8106

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 9, 4:57 AM ESTWind AdvisoryCHSEffingham, Jenkins, Screven11 hr
Dec 9, 1:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBryan, Liberty, Long, Tattnall41 min
Dec 9, 2:24 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBryan, Chatham, Effingham36 min
Dec 9, 2:46 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSChatham29 min
Dec 9, 2:58 PM ESTSpecial Marine WarningCHS62 min
Dec 9, 2:06 PM ESTTornado WarningCHSBeaufort, Jasper24 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Georgia, 2009Tornado 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.