Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Wilmington, NC

May 14, 2012Horry County, South Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this tornado warning at May 14, 2012, 4:47 PM EDT for Horry County, South Carolina. It was in force for 43 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 14, 2012, 4:47 PM EDT (20:47 UTC)
Expired: May 14, 2012, 5:30 PM EDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, NC
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Horry County, SC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:50 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, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 148 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: 518 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 722 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 143 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

718 
WFUS52 KILM 142047
TORILM
SCC051-142130-
/O.NEW.KILM.TO.W.0003.120514T2047Z-120514T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
447 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL HORRY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 447 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 10 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF HAMMOND...OR ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF CONWAY...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
   HAMMOND...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

GET UNDER A TABLE OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. SEEK SHELTER ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH
AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3397 7894 3386 7876 3380 7901 3387 7906
TIME...MOT...LOC 2047Z 243DEG 6KT 3384 7901

$$

III

2 follow-up statements

395 
WWUS52 KILM 142058
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
458 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2012

SCC051-142130-
/O.CON.KILM.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120514T2130Z/
HORRY SC-
458 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR CENTRAL
HORRY COUNTY...

AT 458 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
RED HILL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. SEEK
SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR
ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND
ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3397 7894 3386 7876 3380 7901 3387 7906
TIME...MOT...LOC 2058Z 243DEG 15KT 3384 7896

$$

III

613 
WWUS52 KILM 142128
SVSILM

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
528 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2012

SCC051-142136-
/O.EXP.KILM.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120514T2130Z/
HORRY SC-
528 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL HORRY COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 530 PM
EDT...

AT 526 PM EDT...THE TORNADO WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS
DISSIPATED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

THIS STORM CONTINUES TO SHOW WEAK ROTATION AND MAY REQUIRE 
ADDITIONAL TORNADO WARNINGS.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...DOWNED TREES OR DAMAGING WINDS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON NC...TOLL FREE AT 877-633-6772...WHEN
YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.

LAT...LON 3397 7894 3386 7876 3380 7901 3387 7906
TIME...MOT...LOC 2126Z 241DEG 16KT 3389 7885

$$

III

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wilmington, NC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 14, 12:56 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	ILM	Darlington, Marlboro	79 min
May 14, 1:07 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	ILM	Florence, Williamsburg	53 min
May 14, 2:04 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	ILM	Dillon, Florence, Marion	56 min
May 14, 2:18 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	ILM	Williamsburg	57 min
May 14, 3:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Dillon, Florence, Horry, Marion	58 min
May 14, 3:22 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Williamsburg	32 min
May 14, 4:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Dillon, Horry, Marion	68 min
May 14, 4:14 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Horry	31 min
May 14, 4:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Williamsburg	67 min
May 14, 4:33 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	ILM	Horry, Marion	27 min
May 14, 5:10 PM EDT	Areal Flood Warning	ILM	Horry	3 hr
May 14, 5:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	58 min
May 14, 6:01 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILM	Horry	59 min
May 14, 6:04 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	ILM		56 min
May 14, 6:37 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	ILM	Horry	53 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.