Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 2017

Tornado Watch 485

September 11, 201713 counties in Georgia; 11 counties in South Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Sep 11, 2017, 1:46 PM EDT for 13 counties in Georgia; 11 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 10 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 11, 2017, 1:46 PM EDT (17:46 UTC)
Expired
Sep 12, 2017, 12:00 AM EDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
0.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 24 counties

Bryan County, GA, Bulloch County, GA, Burke County, GA, Candler County, GA, Chatham County, GA, Effingham County, GA, Evans County, GA, Jenkins County, GA, Liberty County, GA, Long County, GA, McIntosh County, GA, Screven County, GA, Tattnall County, GA, Allendale County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Beaufort County, SC, Berkeley County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Dorchester County, SC, Hampton County, SC, Jasper County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC

The radar

The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:47 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
20%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
5%
Ten or more severe hail reports
5%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
60%

Warnings issued inside it

6 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 11, 1:49 PM EDTTornado WarningCHSCharleston, Colleton, Dorchester26 min
Sep 11, 1:53 PM EDTTornado WarningCHSCharleston, Dorchester24 min
Sep 11, 2:45 PM EDTTornado WarningCHSBeaufort, Colleton30 min
Sep 11, 2:46 PM EDTTornado WarningCHSBerkeley, Charleston, Dorchester16 min
Sep 11, 3:10 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCHSBerkeley, Colleton, Dorchester7 hr
Sep 11, 6:56 PM EDTTornado WarningCAEBamberg, Barnwell34 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 2017-09-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 2017-09-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 902 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
547 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
902 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1081 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

805 
WWUS20 KWNS 111738
SEL5  
SPC WW 111738
GAZ000-SCZ000-CWZ000-120200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 485
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
140 PM EDT Mon Sep 11 2017

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Eastern Georgia
  Southeast South Carolina
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Monday afternoon and evening from 140 PM until
  1000 PM EDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...Isolated tornadoes and/or waterspouts will remain possible
through the afternoon and early evening across the watch area as
thunderstorms over the ocean move ashore.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
either side of a line from 45 miles southwest of Savannah GA to 40
miles northeast of Charleston SC. For a complete depiction of the
watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 0.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 11050.

...Hart

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 10, 10:33 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Glynn and 1 more87 min
Sep 10, 11:50 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCBrantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Glynn and 6 more14 hr
Sep 11, 4:58 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Glynn and 6 more2 hr
Sep 11, 8:49 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Effingham and 7 more116 min
Sep 11, 5:45 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester60 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2017Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 2017Every tornado watch in 2017

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.