Alert archive / South Carolina / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 69, NWS Charleston, SC

May 17, 2012Charleston County, Colleton County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2012, 3:04 PM EDT for Charleston County, Colleton County, South Carolina. It was in force for 17 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
May 17, 2012, 3:04 PM EDT (19:04 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2012, 3:21 PM EDT
In force
17 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Charleston County, SC, Colleton County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:04 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

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 45 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 2012-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1254 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 2012-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1254 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
592 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

627 
WUUS52 KCHS 171904
SVRCHS
SCC019-029-171945-
/O.NEW.KCHS.SV.W.0069.120517T1904Z-120517T1945Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
304 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
  EAST CENTRAL COLLETON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT

* AT 305 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...NEAR JACKSONBORO...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

  PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS...
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
  HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE...

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  ASHEPOO...GREEN POND...JACKSONBORO...JACKSONBORO...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE SHELTER AS THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH.

REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND POWER LINES DIRECTLY TO THE
CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 1-888-383-2024...WHEN IT IS
SAFE TO DO SO.

&&

LAT...LON 3279 8032 3265 8048 3273 8065 3288 8053
TIME...MOT...LOC 1905Z 303DEG 5KT 3276 8050

$$
2 follow-up statements
926 
WWUS52 KCHS 171913
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
313 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2012

SCC019-029-171945-
/O.CON.KCHS.SV.W.0069.000000T0000Z-120517T1945Z/
CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-
313 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM EDT
FOR EAST CENTRAL COLLETON AND WEST CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTIES...

AT 313 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR JACKSONBORO...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
5 MPH.

PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS...
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE...

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...ASHEPOO...
GREEN POND AND JACKSONBORO...INCLUDING U.S. ROUTE 17.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMAIN ALERT. WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE AS STORMS
APPROACH. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR
ROOM AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND
POWER LINES...PLEASE CONTACT THE CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TOLL FREE AT 1-888-383-2024 OR EMAIL YOUR REPORTS TO
CHS.SKYWARN@NOAA.GOV.

&&

LAT...LON 3279 8032 3265 8048 3273 8065 3288 8053
TIME...MOT...LOC 1913Z 303DEG 5KT 3276 8049

$$
999 
WWUS52 KCHS 171921
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
321 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2012

SCC019-029-171931-
/O.CAN.KCHS.SV.W.0069.000000T0000Z-120517T1945Z/
CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-
321 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2012

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL COLLETON AND WEST
CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 321 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED
THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED...THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.

ALTHOUGH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT...
THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS...SMALL
HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL. THE SAFEST COURSE OF
ACTION IS TO REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED.

ALTHOUGH THE IMMEDIATE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL HAS
ENDED...THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL PRODUCING FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING STRIKES. THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION IS TO REMAIN INDOORS
UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED.

LAT...LON 3279 8032 3265 8048 3273 8065 3288 8053
TIME...MOT...LOC 1921Z 303DEG 5KT 3275 8048

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 8:03 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley42 min
May 16, 8:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCHSBerkeley2 hr
May 16, 9:20 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSCharleston2 hr
May 17, 1:25 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSCharleston50 min
May 17, 2:11 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley, Charleston3 hr
May 17, 3:19 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSCharleston26 min
May 17, 4:35 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSCharleston115 min
May 17, 12:53 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBerkeley37 min
May 17, 1:12 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley, Dorchester93 min
May 17, 1:25 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSDorchester65 min
May 17, 1:29 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSHampton61 min
May 17, 2:12 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester93 min
May 17, 2:32 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSColleton, Hampton58 min
May 17, 2:49 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSJasper56 min
May 17, 4:45 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSJasper60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in South Carolina, 2012Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.