Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Charleston, SC

February 26, 2013Beaufort County, Charleston County, Colleton County, South Carolina

NWS Charleston, SC issued this tornado warning at Feb 26, 2013, 7:41 AM EST for Beaufort County, Charleston County, Colleton County, South Carolina. It was in force for 49 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
Feb 26, 2013, 7:41 AM EST (12:41 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 2013, 8:30 AM EST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Beaufort County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Colleton County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:42 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, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 30 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 2013-02-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 97 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 2013-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 361 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
97 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
434 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
361 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
533 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

819 
WFUS52 KCHS 261241
TORCHS
SCC013-019-029-261330-
/O.NEW.KCHS.TO.W.0002.130226T1241Z-130226T1330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
741 AM EST TUE FEB 26 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF...
  CHARLESTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
  COLLETON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
  BEAUFORT COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 830 AM EST

* AT 741 AM EST...METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO...NEAR DALE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35
  MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  DALE...BENNETTS POINT...EDISTO ISLAND...ASHEPOO...GREEN POND...
  BEARS BLUFF...ROCKVILLE...

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...WHEN IT IS
SAFE TO DO SO.

&&

LAT...LON 3264 7995 3245 8053 3256 8071 3306 8050
      3300 8040 3296 8042 3289 8039 3287 8040
      3286 8040 3282 8015 3287 8018 3268 7988
TIME...MOT...LOC 1241Z 208DEG 30KT 3253 8062

$$
1 follow-up statement
619 
WWUS52 KCHS 261254
SVSCHS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
754 AM EST TUE FEB 26 2013

SCC013-019-029-261304-
/O.CAN.KCHS.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130226T1330Z/
CHARLESTON SC-COLLETON SC-BEAUFORT SC-
754 AM EST TUE FEB 26 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF CHARLESTON...COLLETON AND
BEAUFORT COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 754 AM EST...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH
PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED...AND WAS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING TORNADOES OR OTHER SEVERE WEATHER. THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
THEREFORE BEEN CANCELED.

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 3264 7995 3245 8053 3256 8071 3306 8050
      3300 8040 3296 8042 3289 8039 3287 8040
      3286 8040 3282 8015 3287 8018 3268 7988
TIME...MOT...LOC 1254Z 208DEG 30KT 3263 8056

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 26, 3:26 AM ESTWind AdvisoryCHSBerkeley, Dorchester16 hr
Feb 26, 6:16 AM ESTTornado WarningCHSJasper44 min
Feb 26, 7:10 AM ESTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBeaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Jasper110 min
Feb 26, 8:10 AM ESTAreal Flood AdvisoryCHSBerkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester110 min
Feb 26, 9:37 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningCHSBerkeley, Charleston, Dorchester3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2013Every tornado warning in 2013Tornadoes in 2013

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.