Special Weather Statement, NWS Columbia, SC

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
151 PM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH...WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARIES...AND PLENTIFUL
ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE...PROVIDING A GOOD
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
CONVERGENCE INTO A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH SHOULD HELP SUPPORT
THUNDERSTORMS. EXPECT GREATER COVERAGE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
ASSOCIATED WITH LIFT AHEAD OF A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH PLUS
HEATING. THE MODELS ALSO SHOW INCREASING SHEAR AHEAD OF AN H85 JET.
THE NAM IS MOST PRONOUNCED WITH THIS FEATURE WITH H85 WINDS
INCREASING TO 40 KNOTS TONIGHT. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY A BOW ECHO
WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE JET. THE SPC WRF AND HRRR SUGGEST A WELL
ORGANIZED AREA OF STORMS WITH BOW TYPE FEATURES LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DAMAGING WIND MAY OCCUR. THE H85 JET MAY
HELP MAINTAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT
ALTHOUGH THERE IS UNCERTAINTY BECAUSE OF THE STABILIZING EFFECTS
OF PREVIOUS CONVECTION. PRECIPITABLE WATER INCREASING TO JUST OVER
2 INCHES INDICATES EXCESSIVE RAIN IS POSSIBLE.

CLOUDINESS AND MIXING SHOULD HELP HOLD UP TEMPERATURES TONIGHT.
USED THE WARMER TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE.

&&

.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE E CONUS...WITH A
SERIES OF EMBEDDED SHORT WAVES PROGGED TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION.
WEAK LEE SIDE SURFACE TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE CENTRAL
CAROLINAS FRIDAY. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO OUR NORTH APPEARS WILL
SLOWLY SLIP SOUTH TO NEAR OUR NORTHERN FORECAST AREA SAT. MODELS
MAINTAIN PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 1.8 TO 2 INCHES
FRIDAY...AND 1.6 TO 1.8 INCHES SAT/SUN. CHANCE TO GOOD CHANCE POPS
SEEM REASONABLE. MOST CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WOULD APPEAR TO BE
DIURNALLY FAVORED...THOUGH TIMING OF SHORT WAVES AND PRESENCE OF
SURFACE BOUNDARIES COULD PROVIDE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE AT OTHER
TIMES.

LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGES INDICATES AREA OF SMOKE THAT WAS
OVER OUR REGION YESTERDAY HAS PUSHED WELL EAST OF OUR FORECAST
AREA...MAINLY OFFSHORE THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. SATELLITE...METARS
AND PIREPS DO NOT APPEAR TO INDICATE ANY SIGNIFICANT SMOKE OR HAZE
IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM...BUT THERE IS A LARGE AREA OVER CENTRAL CANADA
SOUTH INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST. WITH AN UPPER
TROUGH OVER THE E CONUS...THERE IS SOME CONCERN THAT ADDITIONAL
SMOKE COULD DRIFT INTO OUR REGION. HOWEVER...LATEST MODELS
INDICATE SHORT WAVE ENERGY WILL SHIFT FROM NORTHERN PLAINS SE INTO
THE MIDWEST BY SAT/SUN...WITH TROUGH AXIS STAYING JUST TO OUR N
AND NW WHICH APPEARS TO SHIFT THE UPPER FLOW OVER OUR REGION TO
MORE WSW OR SW. THIS WOULD SUGGEST SMOKE STAYING TO OUR
NORTH...BUT THERE IS UNCERTAINTY ON THAT. BUT FOR NOW...NOT ENOUGH
CONFIDENCE TO INCLUDE HAZE MENTION FOR FRI OR SAT.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
BY SUNDAY...MODELS BEGIN TO SHIFT THE MAIN UPPER FLOW TO OUR
NORTH WITH WEAK SOUTHERN STREAM UPPER TROUGHINESS REMAINING OVER
THE SE CONUS/MID ATLANTIC...WITH SOME INDICATIONS THAT AN UPPER
LOW COULD CUT OFF OVER THE CENTRAL APPS/MID ATLANTIC. AT THE
SURFACE...WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPEARS WILL SLIP SOUTH INTO OUR
FORECAST AREA AND STALL THRU MON...WITH SUFFICIENT ATMOSPHERIC
MOISTURE REMAINING OVER OUR FA. CHANCE TO GOOD CHANCE POPS
CONTINUE TO APPEAR REASONABLE.

SOME INDICATIONS BY MID WEEK THAT THE UPPER FLOW COULD BECOME LESS
AMPLIFIED AND MORE ZONAL THOUGH THE MAIN UPPER FLOW STILL REMAINS TO
OUR NORTH. THIS APPEARS WILL ALLOW THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS TO SHIFT
EAST SOME...WITH EXPECTATIONS OF SURFACE BOUNDARY BECOMING DIFFUSE
AND POSSIBLY OF SOME SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR ENTERING TUE INTO WED.
TOO MUCH UNCERTAINTY THIS FAR OUT FOR THAT KIND OF DAY TO DAY
DETAIL...BUT WILL TWEAK POPS DOWN JUST A TAD FOR TUE/WED...BUT
STILL CHANCE. POSSIBILITIES OF ANOTHER FRONT APPROACHING LATE WED
INTO THU.

GENERALLY ACCEPTED A BLEND OF LATEST HPC AND MOS GUIDANCE THROUGH
THE PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
CONVERGENCE INTO A SURFACE TROUGH PLUS UPPER TROUGHING WILL HELP
SUPPORT A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. EXPECT
GREATEST COVERAGE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY THROUGH MUCH OF
TONIGHT ASSOCIATED WITH AN H5 SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND H85 JET.
RADAR TRENDS WITH CONVECTION WELL UPSTREAM AND HRRR TRENDS WOULD
SUGGEST THE MOST LIKELY THUNDERSTORM TIMING LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. AN AREA OF WELL ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP
ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER-LEVEL SUPPORT AND AHEAD OF THE LOW-
LEVEL JET. DAMAGING WIND WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW-LEVEL JET MAY
OCCUR DURING MUCH OF TONIGHT ALTHOUGH THERE IS UNCERTAINTY BECAUSE
OF THE STABILIZING EFFECTS OF PREVIOUS CONVECTION.

SHEAR ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW-LEVEL JET MAY BE CLOSE TO MEETING
THE LLWS CRITERIA LATE TONIGHT.

EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...THERE IS A CHANCE OF RESTRICTIONS
THROUGH THE PERIOD IN MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...
AND PERIODS OF MORNING FOG.

&&

.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...NONE.
GA...NONE.

&&

99

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1012 AM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-
031415-
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-
MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-
RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-
BAMBERG-
1012 AM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT COULD POSSIBLY
CONTAIN DAMAGING WIND. EXCESSIVE RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY COULD POSSIBLY CONTAIN DAMAGING
WINDS. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
243 PM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

SCZ025-026-021915-
SALUDA-EDGEFIELD-
243 PM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN MCCORMICK...CENTRAL
SALUDA AND NORTH CENTRAL EDGEFIELD COUNTIES...

AT 242 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 7 MILES SOUTH OF NINETY SIX
HISTORIC SITE...OR 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GREENWOOD...MOVING EAST AT
25 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SALUDA.

LAT...LON 3396 8201 3399 8199 3404 8195 3409 8192
      3410 8189 3413 8188 3414 8166 3387 8168
      3395 8207
TIME...MOT...LOC 1842Z 274DEG 21KT 3403 8200

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
347 PM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

GAZ040-063>065-SCZ018-020-025>027-030-022045-
MCDUFFIE-LINCOLN-RICHMOND-COLUMBIA-NEWBERRY-MCCORMICK-LEXINGTON-
SALUDA-EDGEFIELD-AIKEN-
347 PM EDT THU JUL 2 2015

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CENTRAL RICHMOND...
SOUTHEASTERN LINCOLN...MCDUFFIE...COLUMBIA...SOUTHEASTERN
MCCORMICK...AIKEN...SOUTHWESTERN LEXINGTON...SALUDA...SOUTHWESTERN
NEWBERRY AND EDGEFIELD COUNTIES...

AT 346 PM EDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM 9 MILES WEST OF SALUDA TO NEAR CAMAK...AND MOVING EAST
AT 40 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND DIME SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
AIKEN...NORTH AUGUSTA...GROVETOWN...EVANS...THOMSON...BELVEDERE...
BATESBURG...AUGUSTA...FORT GORDON...MARTINEZ...CLEARWATER...
BATESBURG-LEESVILLE...EDGEFIELD...SALUDA...HARLEM...JOHNSTON...NEW
ELLENTON...JACKSON...RIDGE SPRING AND LEESVILLE.

FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.

LAT...LON 3365 8253 3365 8249 3370 8247 3398 8209
      3396 8202 3413 8187 3379 8118 3329 8180
      3342 8256 3357 8263
TIME...MOT...LOC 1946Z 274DEG 44KT 3401 8194 3351 8264

HC