Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Columbia, SC

March 3, 2012Kershaw County, Richland County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 2012, 5:32 AM EST for Kershaw County, Richland County, South Carolina. It was in force for 13 min. 5 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: Mar 3, 2012, 5:32 AM EST (10:32 UTC)
Expired: Mar 3, 2012, 5:45 AM EST
In force: 13 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Kershaw County, SC, Richland County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 24 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:33 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
Mar 3, 5:36 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	5 Ese Irmo, SC	SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED ANTENNAS AND TREES DOWN.
Mar 3, 5:36 AM EST	TORNADO	5 Nnw Columbia, SC	AN EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF MONTICELLO ROAD NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HOUSTON STREET AND BISHOPVILLE AVENUE. MANY TREES AND LARGE BRANCHES WERE DOWN, SOME WHICH FELL ON A MOBILE HOME AND DID MINOR DAMAGE.
Mar 3, 5:43 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	Forest Acres, SC	SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED SOME TREES DOWN IN FOREST ACRES.
Mar 3, 5:47 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	11 Sw Camden, SC	DISPATCH REPORTED TREES DOWN IN ELGIN.
Mar 3, 5:47 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	3 N Columbia, SC	TREES BLOCKING ROADWAY ON BURNING TREE ROAD NEAR BUSH RIVER ROAD.

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
Mar 3, 4:39 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 150 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: 127 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -229 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 868 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 170 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 194 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

361 
WFUS52 KCAE 031032
TORCAE
SCC055-079-031045-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0003.120303T1032Z-120303T1045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
532 AM EST SAT MAR 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN KERSHAW COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  NORTHERN RICHLAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 545 AM EST

* AT 530 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR ST.
  ANDREWS...MOVING EAST AT 65 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  WOODFIELDS...FORT JACKSON AND LUGOFF

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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM EST
SATURDAY MORNING FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3395 8103 3399 8105 3401 8108 3412 8117
      3425 8063 3401 8063 3400 8064 3398 8063
TIME...MOT...LOC 1032Z 248DEG 56KT 3411 8099

$$

SJN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 3, 4:03 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	McCormick	61 min
Mar 3, 4:24 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Edgefield, Newberry, Saluda	60 min
Mar 3, 4:52 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Aiken, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland	83 min
Mar 3, 5:23 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lexington, Orangeburg and 2 more	67 min
Mar 3, 5:55 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, Orangeburg and 1 more	80 min
Mar 3, 7:17 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg	58 min
Mar 3, 8:16 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Barnwell	44 min
Mar 3, 8:54 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg	51 min
Mar 3, 9:44 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Bamberg, Orangeburg	46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.