Alert archive / South Carolina / River Flood Warnings in 2020

River Flood Warning 57, NWS Columbia, SC

May 22, 2020Lexington County, Richland County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this river flood warning at May 22, 2020, 9:03 PM EDT for Lexington County, Richland County, South Carolina. It took effect at May 23, 2020, 4:54 AM EDT. It was in force for 35 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 22, 2020, 9:03 PM EDT (01:03 UTC)
In effect from
May 23, 2020, 4:54 AM EDT
Expired
May 24, 2020, 4:00 PM EDT
In force
35 hr
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
Minor

Counties Lexington County, SC, Richland County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 3 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:05 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 river

Written for the forecast point Congaree River at Columbia (COLS1). The gauge peaked at 19.96 ft at May 23, 2020, 6:00 AM EDT.

actionminormoderate1015202505/2305/2405/25
Action stage
10 ft
Minor stage
19 ft
Moderate stage
24 ft
Major stage
30 ft

This gauge today: stage, forecast and historic crests

Stage from the USGS instantaneous record for site 02169500, one reading an hour, from a day before the product to a day after it ended. Flood stages are today's.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this river flood warning 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 river flood warning went out at May 22, 8:55 PM EDT, 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 8:55 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
855 PM EDT Fri May 22 2020

.SYNOPSIS...
The air mass will remain moist and unstable through the weekend
and scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms
are expected. Temperatures will be above normal. Temperatures
will be more seasonable early next week.

&&

.NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/...
Much of the forecast area has been worked over quite well from
numerous convective clusters during the afternoon and evening
hours. Currently, the forecast area is dry, but regional radars
showing additional showers and thunderstorms moving towards the
southern/western CSRA out of southern and central GA. Portions
of the CSRA did not have convection earlier, so there may still
be some lingering pockets of instability for the activity to tap
into as it moves into the CSRA in the next hour or so. The hrrr
does show scattered activity moving through the CSRA and then
into the central Midlands towards Midnight before falling apart
late tonight. Will increase pops once again later tonight to
account for this scenario. Expect dry weather by morning. Other
issue tonight may be some fog formation. There is a weak low-
level jet being shown later tonight, so confidence in widespread
fog is low. Have gone with some stratus late tonight, with
patchy fog possible. Temperatures in the mid and upper 60s late
tonight.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
Saturday and Saturday night...Upper level ridge will build
across the southeastern states over the weekend. The airmass
will remain moist and moderately to strongly unstable with steep
low to mid level lapse rates. With 850mb west flow/warm
advection expect temps around 90 degrees in the afternoon. Weak
surface trough across area. There may be a weak short wave
trough trigger moving to the southeast in northwest flow aloft.
CAM models support scattered convection/pulse severe mainly
across the north Midlands and Pee Dee in the afternoon and
evening. Min temps above normal near 70.

Sunday and Sunday night...Surface ridge over the Northeastern
States builds down the eastern seaboard and appears a back door
front will be approaching from eastern North Carolina late in
the day or in the evening. A sea breeze front is also possible
as low level flow becomes east. The air mass remains at least
moderately unstable with steep low to mid level lapse rates.
Scattered convection...isolated pulse severe...mainly in the
late afternoon and evening. The convection may continue
overnight but diminish as more stable air/front moves into the
area. Blended temperature guidance supports max temps near 90
again with min temps above normal.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Front moving southwest through the area early monday and weak
shallow isentropic lift may result in considerable clouds and
showers mainly across the CSRA and south Midlands. The ridge will
build in from the northeast with drier air for Monday night and
Tuesday. Temperatures a little cooler/seasonable especially Monday.
Surface ridge extending from offshore Mid Atlantic states through
late week with building ridge aloft over the eastern CONUS as deep
low moves into the southern Plains. Persistent east to southeast
deep-layer flow for most of next week. Low chance convection through
the period. Temperatures warm under ridge but with east flow should
result in near normal values in the mid to upper 80s.

&&

.AVIATION /01Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
Showers and storms now east of all terminals, however additional
showers/storms moving up from south-central Ga will move into
the CSRA in the next few hours. There remains a chance that this
activity could hold together enough to reach the Midlands
terminals by 06z. For now, vfr conditions prevail outside of
those showers/storms. Can not rule out brief mvfr/ifr conditions
if the storms impact any taf site the next several hours. Later
on tonight, guidance shows ceilings/visibilities lowering down
into mvfr towards morning. VFR conditions return by 13z
Saturday. Additional showers/storms may be possible Saturday
afternoon.

EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Restrictions possible in mainly
diurnal showers and thunderstorms are possible through the
weekend with improvement early next week.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
Rainfall amounts over the past 48 hours have ranged from 3 to 8
inches across much of the upper and central portions of the
river basins. This will lead to considerable river flooding on
many of the area rivers through the holiday weekend.

&&

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

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 9:00 AM EDT, 12 hours 3 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Columbia SC
900 AM EDT Fri May 22 2020

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-115-116-
231300-
Lincoln-McDuffie-Columbia-Richmond-Burke-Chesterfield-McCormick-
Newberry-Fairfield-Kershaw-Edgefield-Saluda-Lexington-Richland-Lee-
Aiken-Sumter-Barnwell-Orangeburg-Calhoun-Clarendon-Bamberg-
Northern Lancaster-Southern Lancaster-
900 AM EDT Fri May 22 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Midlands of South Carolina
and the Central Savannah River area of Georgia.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Isolated severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Damaging
winds and large hail are the primary threats. Locally heavy rainfall
is also possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

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, May 22, 7:53 PM EDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 22, 7:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 22, 8:07 PM EDT, 56 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 22, 8:19 PM EDT, 44 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 22, 8:35 PM EDT, 28 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 22, 8:40 PM EDT, 23 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 22, 11:33 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAESaluda27 min
May 22, 11:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAEBamberg25 min
May 22, 11:56 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAEBamberg34 min
May 23, 12:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Edgefield, Lexington42 min
May 23, 12:37 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAELexington38 min
May 23, 12:41 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAELexington49 min
May 23, 12:52 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAECalhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Richland and 1 more53 min
May 23, 1:09 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCAELexington, Richland2 hr
May 23, 1:40 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEKershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter50 min
May 23, 1:46 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementCAEChesterfield44 min
May 23, 11:44 AM EDTRiver Flood AdvisoryCAELexington, Richland48 hr

Nearby

River Flood Warnings in South Carolina, 2020Every river flood warning in 2020

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive; the gauge from the NWS water service and the USGS.