Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Columbia, SC

February 24, 2012Calhoun County, Lexington County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Feb 24, 2012, 1:07 PM EST for Calhoun County, Lexington 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
Feb 24, 2012, 1:07 PM EST (18:07 UTC)
Expired
Feb 24, 2012, 1:38 PM EST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Calhoun County, SC, Lexington County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 12 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:07 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
Feb 24, 8:48 AM ESTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 146 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 2012-02-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 817 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 2012-02-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 350 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
817 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-120 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
606 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
350 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
365 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
9.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

601 
WFUS52 KCAE 241807
TORCAE
SCC017-063-241845-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0001.120224T1807Z-120224T1845Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
107 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN LEXINGTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  NORTHWESTERN CALHOUN COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 145 PM EST

* AT 105 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 12 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF GASTON...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTH OF RED BANK...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 70 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  GASTON...SOUTH CONGAREE...PINE RIDGE AND CAYCE

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.

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 400 PM EST FRIDAY AFTERNOON
FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3377 8143 3397 8104 3392 8102 3391 8103
      3390 8100 3389 8102 3388 8100 3386 8100
      3385 8098 3376 8093 3365 8119
TIME...MOT...LOC 1807Z 247DEG 62KT 3378 8120

$$

SJN
1 follow-up statement
618 
WWUS52 KCAE 241838
SVSCAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
138 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2012

SCC017-063-241847-
/O.CAN.KCAE.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120224T1845Z/
LEXINGTON SC-CALHOUN SC-
138 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CALHOUN AND LEXINGTON COUNTIES IS
CANCELLED...

LEXINGTON COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE 
AIKEN LEXINGTON COUNTY LINE AND MOVED NORTHEAST TO NEAR GASTON. 
DEPUTIES ARE ENROUTE TO INVESTIGATE.  

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 3377 8143 3397 8104 3392 8102 3391 8103
      3390 8100 3389 8102 3388 8100 3386 8100
      3385 8098 3376 8093 3365 8119
TIME...MOT...LOC 1837Z 247DEG 62KT 3398 8063

$$

SJN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 24, 4:18 AM ESTLake Wind AdvisoryCAEAiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon and 10 more38 hr
Feb 24, 12:28 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Edgefield32 min
Feb 24, 1:01 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland29 min
Feb 24, 1:33 PM ESTAreal Flood AdvisoryCAEAiken, Lexington, Richland117 min
Feb 24, 1:33 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAECalhoun, Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, Orangeburg, Richland and 1 more42 min
Feb 24, 1:43 PM ESTTornado WarningCAECalhoun, Clarendon, Sumter17 min
Feb 24, 2:59 PM ESTAreal Flood AdvisoryCAEAiken, Edgefield, Lexington, Saluda2 hr
Feb 24, 3:37 PM ESTAreal Flood AdvisoryCAEAiken, Lexington, Richland53 min
Feb 24, 5:16 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementCAEClarendon29 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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.