Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Columbia, SC

February 3, 2016Lexington County, Richland County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Feb 3, 2016, 2:35 PM EST for Lexington County, Richland County, South Carolina. It was in force for 55 min. 3 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: Feb 3, 2016, 2:35 PM EST (19:35 UTC)
Expired: Feb 3, 2016, 3:30 PM EST
In force: 55 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Lexington County, SC, Richland County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 14 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:34 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
Feb 3, 2:45 PM EST	FUNNEL CLOUD	6 Sse Forest Acres, SC	FUNNEL CLOUD ALONG US378 / GARNERS FERRY ROAD. REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AND LOCAL MEDIA WEBSITES.
Feb 3, 2:45 PM EST	TSTM WND GST 50	2 Sse Columbia, SC	RC-WINDS MESONET. GUST 50 MPH.
Feb 3, 2:57 PM EST	TSTM WND GST 47	7 Wnw Eastover, SC	REPORTED BY MCENTIRE JNGB - KMMT

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

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 147 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: 33 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -76 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 668 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 281 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 297 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

686 
WFUS52 KCAE 031935
TORCAE
SCC063-079-032030-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0001.160203T1935Z-160203T2030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
235 PM EST WED FEB 3 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL RICHLAND COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA...
  EAST CENTRAL LEXINGTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA...

* UNTIL 330 PM EST
    
* AT 235 PM EST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  OVER CAYCE...AND MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  COLUMBIA...CAYCE...FOREST ACRES...DENTSVILLE...WOODFIELDS...PINE
  RIDGE...ARCADIA LAKES...FIVE POINTS...WOODFIELD AND FORT JACKSON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...ALSO USE WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCOLUMBIA AND EMAIL
CAEWX@NOAA.GOV TO RELAY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS.
THIS CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

&&

LAT...LON 3387 8104 3394 8110 3413 8090 3392 8074
TIME...MOT...LOC 1935Z 245DEG 10KT 3393 8103 

$$
AWP

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 3, 11:08 AM EST	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick	52 min
Feb 3, 12:48 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield, McCormick, Saluda	42 min
Feb 3, 1:25 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland and 1 more	50 min
Feb 3, 2:17 PM EST	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Kershaw, Lexington, Richland	58 min
Feb 3, 2:27 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, Sumter	63 min
Feb 3, 2:55 PM EST	Tornado Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter	65 min
Feb 3, 3:25 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	CAE	Richland	65 min
Feb 3, 4:26 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Bamberg, Calhoun, Orangeburg	42 min
Feb 3, 5:45 PM EST	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Bamberg	30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2016 Every tornado warning in 2016 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.