Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

March 3, 2012Greenwood County, Laurens County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 2012, 4:26 AM EST for Greenwood County, Laurens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 15 min. 2 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: Mar 3, 2012, 4:26 AM EST (09:26 UTC)
Expired: Mar 3, 2012, 4:41 AM EST
In force: 15 min
Issued by: NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Greenwood County, SC, Laurens County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:27 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
Mar 3, 4:34 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	2 Sw Ninety Six, SC	TREE DOWN ON LOUDEN RD
Mar 3, 4:34 AM EST	TSTM WND DMG	Sse Ninety Six, SC	TREES DOWN ON GERVAIS STREET

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

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 2, 10:54 PM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 231 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: 127 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -229 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 868 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 170 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 194 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

888 
WFUS52 KGSP 030926
TORGSP
SCC047-059-031015-
/O.NEW.KGSP.TO.W.0011.120303T0926Z-120303T1015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
426 AM EST SAT MAR 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN GREENWOOD COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL LAURENS COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 515 AM EST

* AT 422 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 4 MILES WEST OF
  NINETY SIX...OR 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GREENWOOD...MOVING EAST AT 60
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  DYSON AND CROSS HILL...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR STURDIER SHELTER.
OTHERWISE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME
OR PLACE OF BUSINESS. MAKE SURE THERE ARE AS MANY WALLS AND FLOORS
BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.

TO REPORT TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...OR FLOODING...
THROUGH OUR AUTOMATED REPORTING SYSTEM...CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER...
1 8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.

&&

LAT...LON 3406 8209 3423 8216 3440 8177 3436 8179
      3434 8183 3430 8189 3422 8192 3421 8194
      3420 8192 3414 8187 3410 8189
TIME...MOT...LOC 0926Z 248DEG 53KT 3418 8203

$$

KRENTZ

1 follow-up statement

148 
WWUS52 KGSP 030941 RRA
SVSGSP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
441 AM EST SAT MAR 3 2012

SCC047-059-030951-
/O.CAN.KGSP.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120303T1015Z/
GREENWOOD SC-LAURENS SC-
441 AM EST SAT MAR 3 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LAURENS AND EASTERN
GREENWOOD COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM EST SATURDAY MORNING
FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

LAT...LON 3406 8209 3423 8216 3440 8177 3436 8179
      3434 8183 3430 8189 3422 8192 3421 8194
      3420 8192 3414 8187 3410 8189
TIME...MOT...LOC 0941Z 248DEG 53KT 3426 8178

$$

KRENTZ

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 3, 12:02 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Oconee, Pickens	118 min
Mar 3, 12:17 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	York	43 min
Mar 3, 12:37 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Oconee, Pickens	38 min
Mar 3, 1:06 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Greenville, Pickens	54 min
Mar 3, 1:29 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Cherokee	46 min
Mar 3, 1:50 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Spartanburg	40 min
Mar 3, 2:10 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Cherokee, Spartanburg, Union	30 min
Mar 3, 2:38 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	York	52 min
Mar 3, 3:20 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville, Anderson, Greenwood	30 min
Mar 3, 4:10 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	GSP	Greenwood	50 min
Mar 3, 4:14 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GSP	Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens	27 min

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.