Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Charleston, SC

April 16, 2011Berkeley County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 2011, 5:53 PM EDT for Berkeley County, South Carolina. It was in force for 52 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, 5:53 PM EDT (21:53 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 2011, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Berkeley County, SC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 142 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:54 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
Apr 16, 5:57 PM EDTHAIL 18 Wnw Jamestown, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 16, 12:02 PM EDTTornado Watch PDSSPC11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 50 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 2011-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 421 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 2011-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
421 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
687 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 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.

217 
WFUS52 KCHS 162153
TORCHS
SCC015-162245-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0006.110416T2153Z-110416T2245Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BERKELEY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 645 PM EDT

* AT 548 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO...NEAR
  BONNEAU...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  BONNEAU...BONNEAU BEACH...JAMESTOWN...

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 3314 7993 3331 8002 3341 7985 3339 7979
      3332 7974 3331 7968 3329 7962 3328 7958
      3325 7952 3325 7949 3323 7945 3322 7945
TIME...MOT...LOC 2153Z 246DEG 42KT 3327 7986

$$
3 follow-up statements
949 
WWUS52 KCHS 162208
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
608 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

SCC015-162245-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110416T2245Z/
BERKELEY SC-
608 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

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

AT 602 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR JAMESTOWN...OR
ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...BONNEAU
BEACH...BONNEAU AND JAMESTOWN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. IF YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO
COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3314 7993 3331 8002 3341 7985 3339 7979
      3332 7974 3331 7968 3329 7962 3328 7958
      3325 7952 3325 7949 3323 7945 3322 7945
TIME...MOT...LOC 2207Z 259DEG 42KT 3330 7967

$$
094 
WWUS52 KCHS 162230
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
630 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

SCC015-162245-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110416T2245Z/
BERKELEY SC-
630 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

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

AT 624 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. STRONGEST 
ROTATION HAS MOVED NORTHEAST OF THE AREA...HOWEVER ADDITIONAL 
ROTATION HAS BEEN SEEN WITH DEVELOPING SHOWERS BETWEEN MONCKS CORNER 
AND JAMESTOWN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...BONNEAU
BEACH...BONNEAU AND JAMESTOWN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3314 7993 3331 8002 3341 7985 3339 7979
      3332 7974 3331 7968 3329 7962 3328 7958
      3325 7952 3325 7949 3323 7945 3322 7945
TIME...MOT...LOC 2227Z 239DEG 34KT 3332 7972

$$
283 
WWUS52 KCHS 162240
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
640 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

SCC015-162249-
/O.EXP.KCHS.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110416T2245Z/
BERKELEY SC-
640 PM EDT SAT APR 16 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL BERKELEY COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 645
PM EDT...

AT 637 PM EDT...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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3314 7993 3331 8002 3341 7985 3339 7979
      3332 7974 3331 7968 3329 7962 3328 7958
      3325 7952 3325 7949 3323 7945 3322 7945
TIME...MOT...LOC 2239Z 239DEG 34KT 3338 7960

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 12:35 PM EDTHigh Wind WarningCHSBerkeley7 hr
Apr 16, 2:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSAllendale, Colleton, Hampton40 min
Apr 16, 3:18 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSDorchester27 min
Apr 16, 4:11 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSDorchester49 min
Apr 16, 4:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley, Colleton, Dorchester53 min
Apr 16, 4:53 PM EDTTornado WarningCHSBerkeley37 min
Apr 16, 5:28 PM EDTTornado WarningCHSBerkeley32 min
Apr 16, 5:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley61 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.