Alert archive / South Carolina / Special Weather Statements in 2016

Special Weather Statement, NWS Columbia, SC

July 21, 2016McCormick County, South Carolina; Lincoln County, Georgia

NWS Columbia, SC issued this special weather statement at Jul 21, 2016, 2:17 PM EDT for McCormick County, South Carolina; Lincoln County, Georgia. 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: Jul 21, 2016, 2:17 PM EDT (18:17 UTC)
Expired: Jul 21, 2016, 3:00 PM EDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC

Counties Lincoln County, GA, McCormick County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:16 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 191 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: 1259 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -79 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1185 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 24 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Jul 21, 2:14 PM EDT, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 2:14 PM EDT, 3 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
214 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure will be in control of the region through the
weekend with another weak frontal boundary returning to the area
early next week. With temperatures rising through the weekend
chances of mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms
will continue each day.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Weak frontal boundary across the region has slid slightly
northward with showers and thunderstorms once again developing.
Expect coverage to increase from the central Midlands through the
CSRA over the next couple of hours with the main concerns being
damaging winds gusts and localized flooding. WV imagery shows
drier air from the central Midlands northward which could allow
some drier air to mix in with the strong thunderstorms and produce
damaging wind gusts. Also a threat is localized flooding as pwat
values are between 1.75 and 2 inches. Current estimated rain rates
from the CAE WSR-88D are between 2 and 3 inches per hour. With
rains from the past couple of days the potential for localized
flooding is increasing. Instability remains moderate and with
expected outflows from thunderstorms expect activity to linger
into this evening...especially across the CSRA as the weak
surface boundary and drier air aloft move southward. Overnight
convective debris cloudiness will remain across the area for some
time...which will limit fog development. Overnight lows will be in
the lower to middle 70s.

&&

.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
The forecast area will fall under some drier air on Friday with
northerly 500mb flow between the trough axis off the coast and upper
ridge to the west over the central plains states.  Forecast
precipitable water values are well below normal around 1.3-1.4
inches and this combined with no upper disturbances and generally
weak instability should limit the convective activity.  Will keep a
slight chance for convection in the CSRA closer to the better
moisture but not expecting much convection in our area. Temperatures
will warm into the mid to upper 90s with overnight lows in the 70s.

On Saturday, deeper moisture may return to the forecast area as the
upper ridge builds with precipitable water values increasing back to
near normal values around 1.7-1.8 inches.  A surface trough also
expected to develop and provide a possible focus for convection if
it can get going despite rising upper heights associated with the
eastward building upper ridge.  Temperatures will continue to rise
with highs on saturday expected to approach or reach triple digits
and heat indices also pushing over 100 degrees.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
The upper ridge axis will persist across the Tennessee Valley into
the Carolinas on Sunday with temperatures remaining hot in the upper
90s and low 100s with heat indices nearing advisory criteria.
Isolated diurnal convection possible with moderate instability on
Sunday although subsidence from the upper ridge may limit convection.

The upper ridge axis will weaken and begin to retrograde westward
back over the central plains as an upper trough moves across the
Great Lakes region into New England early next week.  A surface
front will also approach the region stalling out north of the
forecast area Mon/Tue and then will push a bit further south
possibly into our northern counties by mid week Wed/Thu before
becoming diffuse.

The forecast area will remain in the warm sector during this period
with above normal atmospheric content as precipitable water values
are forecast to be close to 2 inches and even higher closer to the
frontal boundary which should support diurnal convection.  Tuesday
appears to be the day with the highest chances for convection with
some shortwave energy and the frontal boundary near the area with
the northern Midlands most favored.

Temperatures through the period will remain above normal throughout
with the warmest days occurring Sun/Mon.

&&

.AVIATION /16Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
VFR conditions through the TAF period...tempo mvfr in
thunderstorms this afternoon and evening.

Thunderstorms have begun developing around the TAF sites with
current activity closest to CAE/CUB. Expect activity at all the
taf sites through early this evening...have included a tempo group
for impacts at the terminals through 22z. Main treat from
thunderstorms will be damaging winds gusts...however very heavy
rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are occurring with some
cells. Convection will diminish with sunset with fog potential
currently lower due to convective debris cloudiness expected to
linger into the early morning hours.

EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Low confidence in restrictions
in afternoon and evening convection each day. Low potential for
early morning fog/stratus each morning...mainly at AGS/OGB.

&&

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

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 21, 4:37 AM EDT, 9 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
437 AM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-220845-
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-
MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-
RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-
BAMBERG-
437 AM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 21, 8:58 AM EDT, 5 hours 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
858 AM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0420 PM     TSTM WND DMG     7 SE PATRICK            34.52N 79.95W
07/20/2016                   CHESTERFIELD       SC   UTILITY COMPANY

            UTILITY REPORTED SEVERAL OUTAGES DUE TO
            TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES BETWEEN PATRICK
            AND SOCIETY HILL. .

&&

LCV

Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:08 AM EDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1008 AM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0952 PM     TSTM WND DMG     10 E MCCORMICK          33.94N 82.13W
07/20/2016                   MCCORMICK          SC   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            REPORTED SEVERAL TREES AND LIMBS DOWN ON
            UPPER MILL ROAD NEAR HWY. 67. .

&&

LCV

Local storm report, Jul 21, 10:10 AM EDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
1010 AM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0956 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 NE PLUM BRANCH        33.91N 82.15W
07/20/2016                   EDGEFIELD          SC   UTILITY COMPANY

            REPORTED APPROXIMATELY 100 OUTAGES DUE TO
            TREES AND LIMBS DOWN ON POWER LINES IN THE
            AREA OF GILCHRIST ROAD...GASTON ROAD AND
            MOLEAN LANE.

&&

LCV

Special weather statement, Jul 21, 1:09 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
109 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

SCZ028-031-036>038-211800-
CLARENDON-RICHLAND-CALHOUN-SUMTER-ORANGEBURG-
109 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL ORANGEBURG...
SOUTHEASTERN CALHOUN...SOUTHEASTERN RICHLAND...WEST CENTRAL CLARENDON
AND SOUTHWESTERN SUMTER COUNTIES...

AT 108 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 11 MILES NORTH OF
ELLOREE... OR 18 MILES NORTHEAST OF BROOKDALE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
5 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SUMMERTON...PINEWOOD AND CAMERON.

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.

IF YOU ARE ON OR NEAR LAKE MARION...GET OUT OF THE WATER AND MOVE
INDOORS OR INSIDE A VEHICLE. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE OUT TO
15 MILES FROM THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...
YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER
NOW. DO NOT BE CAUGHT ON THE WATER IN A THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3375 8075 3384 8050 3363 8030 3350 8070
TIME...MOT...LOC 1708Z 336DEG 6KT 3369 8058

LCV

Special weather statement, Jul 21, 2:02 PM EDT, 15 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
202 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

SCZ022-027-028-031-211900-
LEXINGTON-RICHLAND-SUMTER-KERSHAW-
202 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN KERSHAW...CENTRAL
RICHLAND...NORTHEASTERN LEXINGTON AND NORTHWESTERN SUMTER COUNTIES...

AT 202 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER DENTSVILLE...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
COLUMBIA...WEST COLUMBIA...CAYCE...FOREST ACRES...DENTSVILLE...
WOODFIELDS...ST. ANDREWS...ARCADIA LAKES...FIVE POINTS...WOODFIELD...
FORT JACKSON AND BLYTHEWOOD.

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 3409 8112 3421 8103 3423 8087 3407 8059
      3391 8101
TIME...MOT...LOC 1802Z 333DEG 11KT 3410 8096

LCV

Special weather statement, Jul 21, 2:17 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
217 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

GAZ040-063-064-SCZ018-211900-
MCDUFFIE-LINCOLN-COLUMBIA-MCCORMICK-
217 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2016

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN MCDUFFIE...NORTHWESTERN
COLUMBIA...LINCOLN AND CENTRAL MCCORMICK COUNTIES...

AT 216 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER LINCOLNTON...OR 18
MILES EAST OF WASHINGTON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MCCORMICK...LINCOLNTON...BOBBY BROWN STATE PARK...
LAKE STROM THURMOND...PARKSVILLE...PLUM BRANCH...
WILLINGTON AND MOUNT CARMEL.

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY CAUSE
LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.

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.

IF YOU ARE ON OR NEAR LAKE THURMOND...GET OUT OF THE WATER AND MOVE
INDOORS OR INSIDE A VEHICLE. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE OUT TO
15 MILES FROM THE PARENT THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...
YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER
NOW. DO NOT BE CAUGHT ON THE WATER IN A THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3386 8257 3387 8258 3387 8259 3397 8258
      3396 8256 3398 8258 3400 8258 3402 8242
      3379 8218 3361 8245 3368 8251 3383 8260
TIME...MOT...LOC 1816Z 314DEG 22KT 3382 8244

LCV

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 20, 9:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick	33 min
Jul 21, 1:34 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Newberry	56 min
Jul 21, 6:36 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Saluda	54 min
Jul 21, 7:43 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Aiken	62 min
Jul 21, 1:09 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Calhoun	51 min
Jul 21, 1:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Richland, Sumter	64 min
Jul 21, 1:52 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CAE	Sumter	113 min
Jul 21, 2:02 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Richland	58 min
Jul 21, 3:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Richland	55 min
Jul 21, 3:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Fairfield, Kershaw, Richland	26 min
Jul 21, 4:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Clarendon	55 min
Jul 21, 4:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Clarendon, Orangeburg	20 min
Jul 21, 4:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Orangeburg	35 min
Jul 21, 5:39 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Edgefield	66 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in South Carolina, 2016 Special Weather Statements in Georgia, 2016 Every special weather statement in 2016

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.