Alert archive / South Carolina / Mesoscale Discussions in 2020
Mesoscale Discussion 101
The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 6, 2020, 11:32 PM EST for Brunswick County, Carteret County, New Hanover County, North Carolina; 4 counties in South Carolina. It was in force for 118 min.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 6, 2020, 11:32 PM EST (04:32 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 7, 2020, 1:30 AM EST
- In force
- 118 min
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Brunswick County, NC, Carteret County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Berkeley County, SC, Charleston County, SC, Georgetown County, SC, Horry County, SC
The radar
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:32 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 nearest sounding before it
Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 4.5 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 251 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -50 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 718 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 75 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 412 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 427 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 5.5
The text
As transmitted.
523
ACUS11 KWNS 070433
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 070432
NCZ000-SCZ000-070630-
Mesoscale Discussion 0101
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1032 PM CST Thu Feb 06 2020
Areas affected...the central South Carolina coast into coastal North
Carolina
Concerning...Tornado Watch 31...
Valid 070432Z - 070630Z
The severe weather threat for Tornado Watch 31 continues.
SUMMARY...A small area of the coastal Carolinas may experience
locally strong to severe wind gusts. Tornado threat more
conditional.
DISCUSSION...A severe QLCS that produced wind damage over the JAX
area and southeast GA continues to move rapidly offshore. Recently,
northern portions of this line have shown organization into coastal
SC, though low-level velocities have not indicated severe over land.
Downstream of this system, an outflow boundary has pushed south
along the NC coast, and now through MYR SC. Pressure falls continue
across this region due to very strong south winds off the surface.
Should the boundary reverse northward over the next few hours, there
could be a narrow ribbon of land with severe wind potential. Surface
obs will be monitored closely for any indication of a returning
front. Shear will remain exceptionally strong, with little
surface-based instability required for a localized severe threat.
..Jewell/Grams.. 02/07/2020
...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...
ATTN...WFO...MHX...ILM...CHS...
LAT...LON 32528007 32438034 32948029 33398021 33827922 34317811
34807704 34907645 34687618 34337638 33927741 33677813
33127899 32857940 32657975 32528007SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 8:09 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven and 11 more | 96 min |
| Feb 6, 7:32 PM EST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper | 118 min |
Nearby
Mesoscale Discussions in South Carolina, 2020Mesoscale Discussions in North Carolina, 2020Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.