Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Columbia, SC

April 9, 2011Lancaster County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 9, 2011, 6:01 PM EDT for Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was in force for 44 min. 9 reports 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: Apr 9, 2011, 6:01 PM EDT (22:01 UTC)
Expired: Apr 9, 2011, 6:45 PM EDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Lancaster County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:03 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 9, 6:09 PM EDT	HAIL 1.25	16 Nnw Lancaster, SC	HAIL REPORTED...BIGGER THAN QUARTER SIZED BUT SMALLER THAN GOLFBALL SIZED...AT INDIAN LAND AMOCO. ALSO...SEVERAL CARS WITH BROKEN WINDSHIELDS.
Apr 9, 6:15 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	10 W Pageland, SC	GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL COVERING THE GROUND REPORTED AT THE M AND R MINI MART.
Apr 9, 6:15 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	Lancaster, SC	LANCASTER EMA REPORTED 3 SEPARATE EPISODES OF HAIL. GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL OCCURRED 615-630 PM. 1.5 TO 2.0 INCH HAIL OCCURRED 710-720 PM. PEA TO MARBLE SIZED OCCURRED 730-740 PM. HAIL WAS COVERING THE GROUND. ALSO THERE WAS A TREE KNOCKED DOWN BY THE STORM AT TH
Apr 9, 6:15 PM EDT	HAIL 2	8 Nnw Lancaster, SC	HAIL MEASURING 2.00 INCHES REPORTED AT ANDREW JACKSON STATE PARK.
Apr 9, 6:15 PM EDT	HAIL 2.5	9 Nnw Lancaster, SC	HAM RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL 1 MILE SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF STATE ROUTE 5 AND STATE ROUTE 75 NEAR VAN WYCK.
Apr 9, 6:27 PM EDT	HAIL 1.5	9 Ene Lancaster, SC	PUBLIC REPORTED 1.50 INCH HAIL THAT COVERED THE GROUND AT THE EXPRESS MART.
Apr 9, 6:30 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Lancaster, SC
Apr 9, 6:53 PM EDT	HAIL 1.25	Lancaster, SC	EVENT OCCURRED BETWEEN 638 PM 04/09/2011 AND 653 PM 04/09/2011
Apr 9, 6:53 PM EDT	HAIL 1.25	Lancaster, SC

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

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 9, 2:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 168 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 169 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 256 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

892 
WFUS52 KCAE 092201
TORCAE
SCC057-092245-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0004.110409T2201Z-110409T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
601 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 558 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 16 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF LANCASTER...OR ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF ROCK HILL...
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  IRWIN...LANCASTER...ELGIN AND HEATH SPRINGS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL 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 900 PM EDT
SATURDAY 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...TOLL FREE 1 877 6 3
3...6 7 7 2.

LAT...LON 3494 8078 3482 8079 3482 8059 3477 8052
      3464 8043 3451 8074 3454 8074 3446 8088
      3448 8090 3452 8088 3465 8090 3470 8087
      3482 8090 3484 8087 3490 8089 3493 8087
      3501 8091 3504 8088
TIME...MOT...LOC 2201Z 316DEG 34KT 3491 8087

$$

HC

1 follow-up statement

635 
WWUS52 KCAE 092221
SVSCAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
621 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

SCC057-092245-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110409T2245Z/
LANCASTER SC-
621 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011

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

AT 615 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTH OF
LANCASTER...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
IRWIN...ELGIN AND HEATH SPRINGS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN
EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY 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 TOLL FREE AT 1...8 7
7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.

&&

LAT...LON 3482 8079 3482 8061 3479 8055 3475 8051
      3471 8049 3467 8045 3464 8043 3452 8072
      3462 8083 3469 8087 3480 8089 3486 8080
TIME...MOT...LOC 2220Z 323DEG 36KT 3477 8076

$$

HC

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 9, 5:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Lancaster	60 min
Apr 9, 6:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Lancaster	44 min
Apr 9, 6:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster	49 min
Apr 9, 7:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee	45 min
Apr 9, 7:51 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CAE	Chesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster	114 min
Apr 9, 7:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Lee, Sumter	47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.