Alert archive / South Carolina / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Columbia, SC

March 2, 2012Chesterfield County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this special weather statement at Mar 2, 2012, 9:29 AM EST for Chesterfield County, South Carolina. It was in force for 31 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
Mar 2, 2012, 9:29 AM EST (14:29 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 10:00 AM EST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC

County Chesterfield County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:29 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 nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 158 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 2012-03-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2012-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 141 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2084 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
234 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.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Mar 2, 6:06 AM EST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 2, 6:06 AM EST, 3 hours 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
606 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAK WARM FRONT CURRENTLY ACROSS THE STATE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD
TODAY ALONG WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT
WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST FOR TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING ALONG
WITH INCREASING CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH PRESSURE
WILL RETURN FOR SUNDAY INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
UPDATE...WARM FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE CENTRAL MIDLANDS HAS
INTENSIFIED AND EXPANDED EASTWARD OVER THE PAST SEVERAL SCANS WITH
SOME ISOLATED THUNDER IN SOME OF THE CELLS. HAVE ADJUSTED THE
FORECAST FOR THE CURRENT TREND AND INCREASED POPS OVER THE
NORTHERN MIDLANDS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. UPDATE OUT SHORTLY
FOR SKY COVER AND POPS.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...SATELLITE IMAGERY CURRENTLY SHOWS MAINLY
MID AND UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE PALMETTO STATE...HOWEVER
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE. PATCHY FOG HAS
DEVELOPED ALONG WITH LOWERED CEILINGS AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS WITH
SOME RAIN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ACROSS THE
UPSTATE. EXPECT THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE MOVING
NORTHWARD ALONG THE WARM FRONT THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. WITH TEMPERATURES RISING QUICKLY INTO THE MIDDLE TO
UPPER 70S THERE WILL BE INSTABILITY ACROSS THE REGION...BUT WITH
THE WARM FRONT MOVING NORTHWARD THERE WILL BE A LACK OF A TRIGGER
MECHANISM. AS SUCH HAVE ADJUSTED CLOUDS UPWARD AND ADJUSTED POPS
TO ALIGN BETTER WITH FRONTAL MOVEMENT BUT HAVE NOT INCREASE POPS
MUCH AS COVERAGE SHOULD BE LIMITED.

&&

.SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH
INSTABILITY WILL BE WEAK...EXPECT 50-60 KT H850 MB WINDS. PLENTY
OF MOISTURE WILL BE AVAILABLE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S TO
LOWER 60S. THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS/STORMS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE
LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. LIMITING FACTOR CONTINUES TO BE THAT
THE MAIN UPPER-LEVEL SUPPORT IS STILL FORECAST TO BE LAGGING WELL
BEHIND THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AS IT MOVES THROUGH. THIS...ALONG WITH
THE POTENTIAL TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE MAY HELP TO LIMIT THE
SEVERE THREAT.

THE MODELS INDICATE THE COLD FRONT MOVING INTO EASTERN SC BY THE
MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON SATURDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON THE
FRONT...THEREBY SLOWING ITS SPEED. THE FRONT MOVE EAST OF THE
REGION SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH DRYING OCCURRING ON THE BACKSIDE.
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE BUILDING ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE LONG
TERM PERIOD. DRY WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. BY
THURSDAY THE HIGH MOVES FAR ENOUGH OFFSHORE AND WINDS ALOFT BECOME
MORE SOUTHWESTERLY...THUS THERE COULD BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
RAINFALL IF THE MOISTURE RETURN IS GREAT ENOUGH.

AS THE HIGH SETTLES IN EARLY IN THE WEEK...EXPECT TO HAVE STRONG
RADIATIONAL COOLING BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHTS WITH HIGH
PRESSURE OVER THE AREA. NEAR-FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY
OCCUR. TEMPS WILL BEGIN TO MODERATE BY MIDWEEK WITH THE RETURN OF
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS WITH CONDITIONS
IMPROVING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE LATE
IN THE TAF PERIOD.

WARM FRONT CURRENTLY MOVING NORTHWARD THROUGH CAE/CUB HAS STARTED
A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE TAF SITES BY 13Z.
FOG AND LOW CEILINGS WILL ERODE WITH SUNRISE AND MIXING WITH VFR
CONDITIONS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.
LATE IN THE TAF PERIOD A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST
WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HAVE NOT INCLUDED
ANY TS OR CB LATE IN THE PERIOD DUE TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN TIMING OF
FRONT.

EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS
IN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING SATURDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WITH PASSAGE OF THE NEXT FRONT. BREEZY
CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

&&

.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...NONE.
GA...NONE.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 2, 4:34 AM EST, 4 hours 55 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
434 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-030945-
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-
MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-
RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-
BAMBERG-
434 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND
CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION LATE
TONIGHT AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE
THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE. LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION SATURDAY
AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT
SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 2, 7:41 AM EST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 2, 7:43 AM EST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 2, 7:53 AM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 2, 8:02 AM EST, 1 hour 27 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Mar 2, 9:04 AM EST, 25 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Mar 2, 9:29 AM EST, 0 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 6:03 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementCAEFairfield27 min
Mar 2, 6:11 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield49 min
Mar 2, 6:17 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield33 min
Mar 2, 6:37 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Kershaw53 min
Mar 2, 6:43 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementCAEClarendon, Lee, Sumter47 min
Mar 2, 7:08 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEChesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster52 min
Mar 2, 9:04 AM ESTSpecial Weather StatementCAELee11 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in South Carolina, 2012Every special weather statement in 2012

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.