Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Columbia, SC

April 16, 2011Chesterfield County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 2011, 1:56 PM EDT for Chesterfield County, South Carolina. It was in force for 19 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: Apr 16, 2011, 1:56 PM EDT (17:56 UTC)
Expired: Apr 16, 2011, 2:15 PM EDT
In force: 19 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Chesterfield County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:55 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 16, 2:10 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Patrick, SC	QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

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 16, 12:02 PM EDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 169 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: 516 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 605 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 909 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.

460 
WFUS52 KCAE 161756
TORCAE
SCC025-161815-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0005.110416T1756Z-110416T1815Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
156 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 215 PM EDT

* AT 151 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 30 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF CHERAW...OR ABOUT 13 MILES WEST OF HARTSVILLE...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CHERAW

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 TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR 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 3440 8022 3440 8023 3437 8028 3439 8029
      3443 8033 3447 8033 3482 7997 3481 7993
      3476 7992 3474 7989 3469 7987 3466 7982
TIME...MOT...LOC 1756Z 230DEG 38KT 3445 8025

$$

SMITH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 16, 12:05 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	McCormick	55 min
Apr 16, 1:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Kershaw, Richland	42 min
Apr 16, 1:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Kershaw, Richland, Sumter	49 min
Apr 16, 1:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee	57 min
Apr 16, 2:11 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Lee, Sumter	49 min
Apr 16, 2:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter	43 min
Apr 16, 2:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Lee, Orangeburg, Sumter	42 min
Apr 16, 3:12 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Clarendon	33 min
Apr 16, 3:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Clarendon, Orangeburg	48 min
Apr 16, 4:12 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Clarendon	33 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.