Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Columbia, SC

April 13, 20204 counties in South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at Apr 13, 2020, 5:37 AM EDT for 4 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 23 min. 7 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
Apr 13, 2020, 5:37 AM EDT (09:37 UTC)
Expired
Apr 13, 2020, 6:00 AM EDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Observed
Damage threat
Considerable
Hail
0.75 in

Counties Aiken County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Orangeburg County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:39 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 13, 5:37 AM EDTTORNADO6 S Windsor, SCA TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE FROM A TORNADO IN THE VICINITY OF HIGHWAY 278 AND JAYWOOD RD.
Apr 13, 5:40 AM EDTTSTM WND DMG5 Nne Williston, SCNUMEROUS PINE TREE TRUNKS SNAPPED ALONG EDISTO CHURCH ROAD. PICTURES SHARED OVER SOCIAL MEDIA. POSSIBLE TORNADO. TIME APPROXIMATE.
Apr 13, 5:40 AM EDTTSTM WND DMGElko, SCMULTIPLE POWER TRANSMISSION LINES DOWN NEAR THE TOWN OF ELKO, SC. PHOTOS SHARED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. POSSIBLE TORNADO DAMAGE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
Apr 13, 5:43 AM EDTTORNADO4 S Elko, SC*** 2 FATAL, 7 INJ *** A STRONG, LONG-TRACK TORNADO BEGAN JUST SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF ELKO IN BARNWELL COUNTY , THEN MOVED IN A GENERAL NORTHEAST DIRECTION THROUGH ORANGEBURG COUNTY, BEFORE DISSIPATING SOUTHWEST OF ST. MATTHEWS IN CALHOUN COUNTY BEFORE REACHING
Apr 13, 5:55 AM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 S Springfield, SCSTRUCTURE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. REPORT FROM SOCIAL MEDIA.
Apr 13, 6:00 AM EDTTORNADO2 W Livingston, SC*** 2 FATAL, 7 INJ *** A LONG TRACK TORNADO PRODUCED EF3 DAMAGE WITH WINDS OF 140 MPH ON PRESERVER ROAD NEAR LIVINGSTON, SC WHERE A DOUBLE WIDE HOME WAS DESTROYED. THERE ARE AT LEAST 2 FATALITIES AND 7 INJURIES IN ORANGEBURG COUNTY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TORNADO
Apr 13, 6:03 AM EDTTSTM WND DMG1 Nnw Livingston, SCSCDOT REPORTS TREES DOWN ON PEACH STREET NEAR LIVINGSTON, SC. PHOTOS SHARED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. POSSIBLE TORNADO DAMAGE.

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

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 13, 3:20 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 142 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 00:00Z on 2020-04-13Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2020-04-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 371 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
944 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
371 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
494 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

736 
WFUS52 KCAE 130937
TORCAE
SCC003-009-011-075-131000-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0009.200413T0937Z-200413T1000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Columbia SC
537 AM EDT Mon Apr 13 2020

The National Weather Service in Columbia has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northeastern Barnwell County in central South Carolina...
  Northwestern Bamberg County in central South Carolina...
  Southeastern Aiken County in central South Carolina...
  West central Orangeburg County in central South Carolina...

* Until 600 AM EDT.
    
* At 537 AM EDT, a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado
  was located 7 miles southwest of Williston, or 10 miles northeast
  of Savannah River Site, moving northeast at 45 mph.

  This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. TAKE COVER NOW!

  HAZARD...Damaging tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar confirmed tornado.

  IMPACT...You are in a life-threatening situation. Flying debris 
           may be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile 
           homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, 
           businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete 
           destruction is possible.

* The tornado will be near...
  Williston around 545 AM EDT.
  Blackville around 555 AM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include Aiken
Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve, Perry Airport, Perry, Norway,
Springfield, Windsor, Livingston, Salley, Elko and Neeses.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Tornadoes are nearly impossible to see at night. Do not wait to see
or hear the tornado. Immediately move to an interior room or closet
on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.

&&

LAT...LON 3324 8152 3339 8162 3370 8131 3348 8101
TIME...MOT...LOC 0937Z 233DEG 40KT 3334 8152 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
TORNADO DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

HC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 13, 4:23 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEEdgefield, McCormick37 min
Apr 13, 4:29 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEEdgefield, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda46 min
Apr 13, 4:41 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Newberry, Saluda49 min
Apr 13, 4:58 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Barnwell47 min
Apr 13, 5:06 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Edgefield, Lexington, Newberry, Saluda39 min
Apr 13, 5:14 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEAiken, Barnwell31 min
Apr 13, 5:16 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster29 min
Apr 13, 5:34 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland41 min
Apr 13, 5:43 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEBamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg32 min
Apr 13, 5:55 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEFairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster35 min
Apr 13, 5:56 AM EDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatCAEAiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg34 min
Apr 13, 6:02 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEAiken, Lexington, Orangeburg28 min
Apr 13, 6:04 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAECalhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland, Sumter41 min
Apr 13, 6:09 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEBamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg36 min
Apr 13, 6:13 AM EDTTornado WarningCAEBamberg, Calhoun, Orangeburg32 min
Apr 13, 6:22 AM EDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatCAECalhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter23 min
Apr 13, 6:23 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEChesterfield, Kershaw, Lancaster52 min
Apr 13, 6:35 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEBamberg, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Sumter40 min
Apr 13, 6:39 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAECalhoun, Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, Richland, Sumter31 min
Apr 13, 6:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEChesterfield29 min
Apr 13, 6:58 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCAEClarendon, Lee, Sumter32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2020Every tornado warning in 2020Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.