Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Charleston, SC

August 1, 2012Charleston County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 1, 2012, 8:16 PM EDT for Charleston County, South Carolina. It was in force for 44 min. 1 report 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
Aug 1, 2012, 8:16 PM EDT (00:16 UTC)
Expired
Aug 1, 2012, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Charleston County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:19 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
Aug 1, 8:17 PM EDTTORNADO2 W Kiawah Island, SCAN EF-0 TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN CLOSE TO THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY NEAR KIAWAH ISLAND.

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, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 32 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 2012-08-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2993 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2012-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2993 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
816 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

786 
WFUS52 KCHS 020016
TORCHS
SCC019-020100-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0016.120802T0016Z-120802T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
816 PM EDT WED AUG 1 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 900 PM EDT

* AT 816 PM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD...
  NEAR KIAWAH ISLAND...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  KIAWAH ISLAND...

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 3260 8001 3260 8007 3258 8012 3264 8013
      3269 8005 3261 7999
TIME...MOT...LOC 0016Z 030DEG 5KT 3261 8006

$$
2 follow-up statements
869 
WWUS52 KCHS 020035
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
835 PM EDT WED AUG 1 2012

SCC019-020100-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120802T0100Z/
CHARLESTON SC-
835 PM EDT WED AUG 1 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTY...

AT 834 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
SHOW ROTATION.  A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NEAR KIAWAH ISLAND 
MOVING SOUTH AT 5 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...KIAWAH
ISLAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO MAY FORM AT ANY TIME. TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES
AND VEHICLES. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 3260 8001 3260 8007 3258 8012 3264 8013
      3269 8005 3261 7999
TIME...MOT...LOC 0034Z 008DEG 3KT 3260 8006

$$
633 
WWUS52 KCHS 020053
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
853 PM EDT WED AUG 1 2012

SCC019-020103-
/O.EXP.KCHS.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120802T0100Z/
CHARLESTON SC-
853 PM EDT WED AUG 1 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 900 PM EDT...

AT 853 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM THAT
PROMPTED THE WARNING WEAKENED...AND WAS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING TORNADOES OR OTHER SEVERE WEATHER. THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
THEREFORE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

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

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 3260 8001 3260 8007 3258 8012 3264 8013
      3269 8005 3261 7999
TIME...MOT...LOC 0053Z 008DEG 3KT 3258 8006

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 1, 8:59 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSCharleston31 min
Aug 2, 1:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBeaufort, Jasper65 min
Aug 2, 2:37 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSHampton23 min
Aug 2, 2:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSAllendale59 min
Aug 2, 3:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSAllendale63 min
Aug 2, 3:53 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSHampton37 min
Aug 2, 4:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSHampton, Jasper59 min
Aug 2, 4:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBeaufort, Colleton63 min
Aug 2, 5:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSColleton, Dorchester58 min
Aug 2, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester67 min
Aug 2, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley, Colleton, Dorchester63 min
Aug 2, 6:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBerkeley, Charleston, Dorchester62 min
Aug 2, 7:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBerkeley25 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.