Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Columbia, SC

November 16, 2011Lancaster County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Nov 16, 2011, 5:36 PM EST for Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was in force for 33 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
Nov 16, 2011, 5:36 PM EST (22:36 UTC)
Expired
Nov 16, 2011, 6:09 PM EST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Lancaster County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:39 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Nov 16, 4:30 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 156 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2011-11-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 116 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2011-11-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
116 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
129 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.

182 
WFUS52 KCAE 162236
TORCAE
SCC057-162330-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0013.111116T2236Z-111116T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
536 PM EST WED NOV 16 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN LANCASTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 630 PM EST

* AT 531 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A TORNADO OVER YORK COUNTY...OR ABOUT 9 MILES NORTH OF CHESTER...
  MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

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

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...TOLL FREE 1 877 6 3
3...6 7 7 2.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST THURSDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3506 8088 3494 8078 3483 8079 3482 8069
      3476 8088 3483 8090 3484 8087 3486 8088
      3490 8088 3492 8087 3501 8091 3507 8091
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 251DEG 32KT 3485 8112

$$

LM
1 follow-up statement
823 
WWUS52 KCAE 162309
SVSCAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
609 PM EST WED NOV 16 2011

SCC057-162318-
/O.CAN.KCAE.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-111116T2330Z/
LANCASTER SC-
609 PM EST WED NOV 16 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR LANCASTER COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS WEAKENED AND MOVED NORTHEAST OF THE AREA. A TORNADO 
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST THURSDAY MORNING FOR 
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1...8 7
7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.

LAT...LON 3506 8088 3494 8078 3483 8079 3482 8069
      3476 8088 3483 8090 3484 8087 3486 8088
      3490 8088 3492 8087 3501 8091 3507 8091
TIME...MOT...LOC 2308Z 251DEG 32KT 3494 8079

$$

LM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 16, 3:48 AM ESTLake Wind AdvisoryCAEAiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon and 10 more20 hr
Nov 16, 4:50 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken55 min
Nov 16, 5:49 PM ESTTornado WarningCAEAiken, Barnwell41 min
Nov 16, 6:32 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg58 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

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.