Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Watches in 2019

Tornado Watch 68

April 14, 20196 counties in North Carolina; 12 counties in South Carolina

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 14, 2019, 6:31 PM EDT for 6 counties in North Carolina; 12 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 14, 2019, 6:31 PM EDT (22:31 UTC)
Expired
Apr 14, 2019, 9:04 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Bladen County, NC, Brunswick County, NC, Columbus County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Pender County, NC, Robeson County, NC, Berkeley County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Colleton County, SC, Darlington County, SC, Dillon County, SC, Dorchester County, SC, Florence County, SC, Georgetown County, SC, Horry County, SC, Marion County, SC, Marlboro County, SC, Williamsburg County, SC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:35 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
30%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
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
40%

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, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 157 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 2019-04-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 663 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2019-04-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 119 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
663 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
574 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

575 
WWUS20 KWNS 142227
SEL8  
SPC WW 142227
NCZ000-SCZ000-150600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 68
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
630 PM EDT Sun Apr 14 2019

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Eastern North Carolina
  Eastern South Carolina

* Effective this Sunday night and Monday morning from 630 PM
  until 200 AM EDT.

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

SUMMARY...At least isolated severe storms will pose a threat this
evening into the overnight, including the possibility of damaging
winds and a tornado risk.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
east and west of a line from 40 miles north northwest of Wilmington
NC to 30 miles west southwest of Charleston SC. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).

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.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 61...WW 62...WW 63...WW
64...WW 65...WW 66...WW 67...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 23035.

...Guyer

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 11:48 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie and 16 more117 min
Apr 14, 2:16 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAlamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Burke, Cabarrus and 46 more8 hr
Apr 14, 3:00 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCherokee, Graham, Swain2 hr
Apr 14, 4:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAvery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood and 8 more6 hr
Apr 14, 4:50 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Caswell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth and 8 more85 min
Apr 14, 5:43 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin and 11 more2 hr
Apr 14, 7:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke and 33 more2 hr
Apr 14, 7:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAshe, Watauga5 hr
Apr 14, 12:54 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAbbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and 21 more6 hr
Apr 14, 3:02 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAllendale, Beaufort, Hampton, Jasper4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in South Carolina, 2019Tornado Watches in North Carolina, 2019Every tornado watch in 2019

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.