Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 55, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

August 17, 2021Greenville County, Laurens County, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this tornado warning at Aug 17, 2021, 5:57 PM EDT for Greenville County, Laurens County, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. It was in force for 48 min. 3 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
Aug 17, 2021, 5:57 PM EDT (21:57 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2021, 6:45 PM EDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.75 in

Counties Greenville County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Spartanburg County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:58 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
Aug 17, 6:05 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG1 Ene Fountain Inn, SCTREES DOWN AND GENERAL VEGETATION DAMAGE OFF THACKSTON ROAD AND HIGHWAY 418
Aug 17, 6:05 PM EDTTORNADO3 Se Fountain Inn, SCVIDEO EVIDENCE OF TORNADO WITH DEBRIS COINCIDENT WITH RADAR SIGNATURE
Aug 17, 6:45 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG5 Ne Fountain Inn, SCMULTIPLE TREES DOWN WITH ROAD BLOCKAGES ON RITCHIE ROAD IN FOUNTAIN INN

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
Aug 17, 10:42 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 241 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2021-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 522 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 12:00Z on 2021-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 77 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
522 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
593 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
99 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

773 
WFUS52 KGSP 172157
TORGSP
SCC045-059-083-172245-
/O.NEW.KGSP.TO.W.0055.210817T2157Z-210817T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
557 PM EDT Tue Aug 17 2021

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Laurens County in Upstate South Carolina...
  Southeastern Greenville County in Upstate South Carolina...
  Central Spartanburg County in Upstate South Carolina...

* Until 645 PM EDT.
    
* At 557 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located 12 miles northwest of Laurens, or near Gray Court,
  moving northeast at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Fountain Inn around 600 PM EDT.
  Woodruff around 610 PM EDT.
  Reidville around 620 PM EDT.
  Spartanburg, Moore, Roebuck, Cedar Springs and Croft State Park 
  around 630 PM EDT.
  USC Upstate, Boiling Springs SC and Cowpens around 640 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this dangerous thunderstorm include
Pauline.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Please report damaging winds, hail, or flooding to the National
Weather Service by calling toll free, 1, 800, 2 6 7, 8 1 0 1, or by
posting on our Facebook page, or Tweet it using hashtag nwsgsp. Your
message should describe the event and the specific location where it
occurred.

&&

LAT...LON 3459 8231 3514 8204 3503 8179 3495 8176
      3451 8212
TIME...MOT...LOC 2157Z 207DEG 37KT 3463 8217 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

CAC
1 follow-up statement
614 
WWUS52 KGSP 172222
SVSGSP

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
622 PM EDT Tue Aug 17 2021

SCC045-059-083-172245-
/O.CON.KGSP.TO.W.0055.000000T0000Z-210817T2245Z/
Laurens SC-Greenville SC-Spartanburg SC-
622 PM EDT Tue Aug 17 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR NORTH
CENTRAL LAURENS...EAST CENTRAL GREENVILLE AND CENTRAL SPARTANBURG
COUNTIES...
    
At 622 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 7 miles southwest of Spartanburg, or near Moore, moving
northeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

This dangerous storm will be near...
  Spartanburg, Cedar Springs and Croft State Park around 630 PM EDT.
  USC Upstate and Boiling Springs SC around 640 PM EDT.
  Cowpens around 650 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Pauline.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3471 8225 3514 8204 3503 8179 3495 8176
      3465 8201
TIME...MOT...LOC 2222Z 207DEG 37KT 3487 8202 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

CAC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 11:47 AM EDTTornado WarningGSPOconee13 min
Aug 17, 12:30 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPOconee5 hr
Aug 17, 12:30 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPOconee, Pickens23 min
Aug 17, 12:59 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAnderson, Pickens23 min
Aug 17, 1:20 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPPickens25 min
Aug 17, 2:03 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPGreenville, Pickens5 hr
Aug 17, 2:14 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPGreenwood, Laurens33 min
Aug 17, 2:52 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPGreenville26 min
Aug 17, 3:01 PM EDTTornado Warning Tornado observedGSPGreenville18 min
Aug 17, 3:25 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPSpartanburg35 min
Aug 17, 3:26 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPOconee34 min
Aug 17, 4:34 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGSPAbbeville, Anderson, Pickens26 min
Aug 17, 5:08 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAnderson, Greenville, Pickens52 min
Aug 17, 5:10 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAbbeville, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens50 min
Aug 17, 5:11 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAbbeville, Greenwood, Laurens49 min
Aug 17, 5:33 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPAnderson, Greenville, Spartanburg42 min
Aug 17, 5:37 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPChester, York38 min
Aug 17, 5:58 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPGreenwood, Laurens47 min
Aug 17, 6:15 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPLaurens, Spartanburg, Union45 min
Aug 17, 6:16 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGSPGreenville, Pickens, Spartanburg3 hr
Aug 17, 6:42 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPSpartanburg48 min
Aug 17, 6:46 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCherokee, Spartanburg44 min
Aug 17, 6:51 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPLaurens, Spartanburg, Union39 min
Aug 17, 7:59 PM EDTTornado WarningGSPCherokee, Spartanburg46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2021Every tornado warning in 2021Tornadoes in 2021

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.