Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Columbia, SC

March 24, 2012Bamberg County, Orangeburg County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 24, 2012, 8:51 PM EDT for Bamberg County, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 39 min. 3 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 24, 2012, 8:51 PM EDT (00:51 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 2012, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Bamberg County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:50 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
Mar 24, 9:00 PM EDTHAIL 0.88Bamberg, SCPUBLIC REPORTED LOTS OF NICKEL SIZE HAIL IN BAMBERG.
Mar 24, 9:04 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG6 Ene Bamberg, SCSHERIFF DISPATCH REPORTED A TREE DOWN IN THE CANAAN COMMUNITY.
Mar 24, 9:26 PM EDTHAIL 16 N Branchville, SCPUBLIC REPORTED QUARTER SIZE HAIL JUST NORTH OF BRANCHVILLE ON MIDDLE ROAD. HAIL FELL FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES.

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
Mar 24, 1:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr
Mar 24, 8:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 218 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 00:00Z on 2012-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 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
218 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-86 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
911 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
213 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

615 
WFUS52 KCAE 250051
TORCAE
SCC009-075-250130-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0006.120325T0051Z-120325T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
851 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BAMBERG COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA
  SOUTHERN ORANGEBURG COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* AT 849 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR BAMBERG...
  MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  BAMBERG...BRANCHVILLE AND BOWMAN

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
1.25 INCH SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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 200 AM EDT SUNDAY
MORNING FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

&&

LAT...LON 3332 8116 3347 8060 3328 8059 3316 8081
      3315 8118
TIME...MOT...LOC 0050Z 256DEG 26KT 3326 8108

$$

AWP
1 follow-up statement
472 
WWUS52 KCAE 250102
SVSCAE

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
902 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

SCC009-075-250130-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120325T0130Z/
BAMBERG SC-ORANGEBURG SC-
902 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR
ORANGEBURG AND BAMBERG COUNTIES...

AT 858 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A LIKELY TORNADO.  THE MOST THREATENED AREA WAS BETWEEN 
BAMBERG AND EHRHARDT. THE STORM WAS MOVING EASTWARD AT 30 MPH.  

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO 
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN BAMBERG COUNTY PLUS BRANCHVILLE IN SOUTHERN
ORANGEBURG COUNTY. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1.5 
INCH SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT SUNDAY
MORNING FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

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 3332 8116 3347 8060 3328 8059 3316 8081
      3315 8118
TIME...MOT...LOC 0059Z 256DEG 26KT 3327 8100

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 8:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAECalhoun, Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter45 min
Mar 24, 8:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg46 min
Mar 24, 9:07 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCAELexington, Richland53 min
Mar 24, 9:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEOrangeburg66 min
Mar 24, 9:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg, Barnwell51 min
Mar 25, 1:07 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAEMarlboro23 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.