Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Columbia, SC

May 30, 2012Orangeburg County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at May 30, 2012, 12:25 AM EDT for Orangeburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 50 min. 4 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: May 30, 2012, 12:25 AM EDT (04:25 UTC)
Expired: May 30, 2012, 1:15 AM EDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Orangeburg County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:27 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
May 30, 12:27 AM EDT	TSTM WND GST 45	3 Ssw Brookdale, SC	ASOS AT ORANGEBURG REPORTED A WIND GUST UP TO 45 MPH.
May 30, 12:30 AM EDT	TSTM WND GST 50	Orangeburg, SC	PUBLIC ESTIMATED WIND GUSTS IN DOWNTOWN ORANGEBURG AROUND 50 MPH.
May 30, 12:35 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 Sw Orangeburg, SC	HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTED TREES DOWN NEAR CORDOVA ROAD AND CHERRY HILL ROAD.
May 30, 12:35 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 W Orangeburg, SC	HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTED TREES DOWN NEAR HIGHWAY 400 AND CUT OFF ROAD.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 112 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: 907 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 540 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 99 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 121 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.

922 
WFUS52 KCAE 300425
TORCAE
SCC075-300515-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0009.120530T0425Z-120530T0515Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1225 AM EDT WED MAY 30 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 115 AM EDT

* AT 1223 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  BROOKDALE...MOVING WEST AT 20 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  BROOKDALE AND ORANGEBURG

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3338 8108 3338 8109 3338 8110 3339 8114
      3340 8115 3362 8110 3350 8074 3340 8077
      3337 8108
TIME...MOT...LOC 0425Z 098DEG 18KT 3348 8082

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 29, 10:00 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CAE	Aiken, Barnwell	3 hr
May 29, 11:47 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Calhoun	28 min
May 30, 12:02 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Orangeburg	43 min
May 30, 6:35 AM EDT	Lake Wind Advisory	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Sumter	4 hr

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.