Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Charleston, SC

August 23, 2012Charleston County, Colleton County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 23, 2012, 3:50 PM EDT for Charleston County, Colleton County, South Carolina. It was in force for 52 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
Aug 23, 2012, 3:50 PM EDT (19:50 UTC)
Expired
Aug 23, 2012, 4:42 PM EDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Charleston County, SC, Colleton County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:52 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, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 54 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 2012-08-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1061 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 12:00Z on 2012-08-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -26 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1061 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
589 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

165 
WFUS52 KCHS 232012
TORCHS
SCC019-029-232100-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0018.120823T2012Z-120823T2100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
412 PM EDT THU AUG 23 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CHARLESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH
  CAROLINA...
  EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN COLLETON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 500 PM EDT

* AT 411 PM EDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUES TO 
  RECEIVE REPORTS OF WATERSPOUTS OFF EDISTO BEACH. ONE WATERSPOUT
  HAS ALREADY MOVED INLAND AND THE OTHER WATERSPOUTS COULD ALSO
  MOVE INLAND AT ANYTIME.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  EDISTO BEACH...EDISTO ISLAND...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WATERSPOUTS THAT MOVE ONSHORE BECOME TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE ALONG THE
SHORE...SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...FIND A
LOW SPOT AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3247 8035 3246 8036 3244 8034 3244 8036
      3245 8037 3247 8035 3249 8036 3248 8039
      3251 8040 3257 8027 3253 8023
TIME...MOT...LOC 2011Z 145DEG 9KT 3249 8030

$$
2 follow-up statements
500 
WWUS52 KCHS 232022
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
422 PM EDT THU AUG 23 2012

SCC019-029-232100-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120823T2100Z/
CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-
422 PM EDT THU AUG 23 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM EDT FOR EXTREME
SOUTHEASTERN COLLETON AND EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CHARLESTON COUNTIES...

AT 421 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUED TO
DETECT A WATERSPOUT. THIS WATERSPOUT WAS LOCATED NEAR EDISTO BEACH STATE
PARK...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 5 TO 10 MPH.

AT 417 PM EDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A WATERSPOUT JUST OFFSHORE 
OF EDISTO BEACH STATE PARK. THIS WATERSPOUT COULD MOVE INLAND
AT ANY TIME. ONE WATERSPOUT HAS ALREADY MOVED INLAND.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...EDISTO
BEACH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WATERSPOUTS THAT MOVE ONSHORE BECOME TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE ALONG THE
SHORE...SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...FIND A
LOW SPOT AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3247 8035 3246 8036 3244 8034 3244 8036
      3245 8037 3247 8035 3249 8036 3248 8039
      3251 8040 3257 8027 3253 8023
TIME...MOT...LOC 2021Z 145DEG 6KT 3249 8032

$$
200 
WWUS52 KCHS 232042
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
442 PM EDT THU AUG 23 2012

SCC019-029-232052-
/O.CAN.KCHS.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120823T2100Z/
CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-
442 PM EDT THU AUG 23 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN COLLETON AND EXTREME
SOUTHWESTERN CHARLESTON COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

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 3247 8035 3246 8036 3244 8034 3244 8036
      3245 8037 3247 8035 3249 8036 3248 8039
      3251 8040 3257 8027 3253 8023
TIME...MOT...LOC 2042Z 145DEG 6KT 3252 8034

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 23, 4:38 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley, Charleston67 min
Aug 23, 5:23 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBerkeley37 min
Aug 23, 5:37 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley83 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.