Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Charleston, SC

March 24, 2012Charleston County, Colleton County, Dorchester County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 24, 2012, 2:36 PM EDT for Charleston County, Colleton County, Dorchester County, South Carolina. It was in force for 23 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
Mar 24, 2012, 2:36 PM EDT (18:36 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 2012, 2:59 PM EDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Charleston County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Dorchester County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:39 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 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

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 28 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 2012-03-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 588 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 2012-03-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
588 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-50 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
734 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
118 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

086 
WFUS52 KCHS 241836
TORCHS
SCC019-029-035-241915-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0007.120324T1836Z-120324T1915Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL CHARLESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
  SOUTHEASTERN COLLETON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
  SOUTHEASTERN DORCHESTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 315 PM EDT

* AT 237 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF ADAMS RUN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  ADAMS RUN...BEARS BLUFF...YONGES ISLAND...RAVENEL...HOLLYWOOD...
  DELEMAR CROSSROADS...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS TORNADO MAY BE WRAPPED IN RAIN AND NOT EASILY SEEN. IF YOU WAIT
UNTIL YOU SEE OR HEAR IT COMING IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE SHELTER NOW.

REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES...LIMBS...AND POWER LINES DIRECTLY TO THE
CHARLESTON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 1-888-383-2024.

&&

LAT...LON 3295 8015 3273 7997 3257 8047 3268 8054
TIME...MOT...LOC 1837Z 237DEG 25KT 3265 8044

$$
2 follow-up statements
626 
WWUS52 KCHS 241845
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
245 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

SCC019-029-035-241915-
/O.CON.KCHS.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-120324T1915Z/
DORCHESTER SC-CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-
245 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN COLLETON...WEST CENTRAL CHARLESTON AND SOUTHEASTERN
DORCHESTER COUNTIES...

AT 245 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER METEOROLOGISTS
CONTINUED TO DETECT A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR
FENWICK...OR ABOUT 14 MILES NORTH OF EDISTO BEACH...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...ADAMS
RUN...DELEMAR CROSSROADS...HOLLYWOOD...JAMES ISLAND COUNTY PARK...
JOHNS ISLAND...MAYBANK BRIDGE...MEGGETT...MIDDLETON PLACE...
RAVENEL...SHADOWMOSS...WADMALAW ISLAND AND YONGES 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 3261 8044 3269 8049 3295 8015 3273 7997
TIME...MOT...LOC 1845Z 236DEG 24KT 3268 8039

$$
361 
WWUS52 KCHS 241859
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
259 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

SCC019-029-035-241909-
/O.CAN.KCHS.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-120324T1915Z/
DORCHESTER SC-CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-
259 PM EDT SAT MAR 24 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN COLLETON...WEST CENTRAL
CHARLESTON AND SOUTHEASTERN DORCHESTER COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

ALTHOUGH THE RISK FOR A TORNADO HAS ENDED...A LINE OF SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS WESTERN CHARLESTON COUNTY. A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CONTINUES.

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 3261 8044 3269 8049 3295 8015 3273 7997
TIME...MOT...LOC 1859Z 236DEG 24KT 3273 8030

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 9:19 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBerkeley26 min
Mar 24, 12:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSJasper58 min
Mar 24, 1:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBeaufort, Colleton, Jasper62 min
Mar 24, 1:27 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSHampton33 min
Mar 24, 1:59 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBeaufort46 min
Mar 24, 2:06 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSColleton39 min
Mar 24, 2:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCHSBeaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Jasper62 min
Mar 24, 2:44 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBerkeley61 min
Mar 24, 3:15 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSCharleston60 min
Mar 24, 3:44 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSBerkeley46 min
Mar 24, 4:24 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCHSGeorgetown21 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.