Alert archive / South Carolina / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Columbia, SC

May 30, 2025Calhoun County, Clarendon County, Sumter County, South Carolina

NWS Columbia, SC issued this tornado warning at May 30, 2025, 4:44 PM EDT for Calhoun County, Clarendon County, Sumter County, South Carolina. It was in force for 31 min. 1 report 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: May 30, 2025, 4:44 PM EDT (20:44 UTC)
Expired: May 30, 2025, 5:15 PM EDT
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Columbia, SC
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Calhoun County, SC, Clarendon County, SC, Sumter County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:46 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 30, 5:01 PM EDT	TORNADO	7 W Summerton, SC	A National Weather Service Storm Survey team confirmed an EF1 tornado in Clarendon County that occurred within a wide swath of damaging winds, extending from Swansea to Lake Marion. Based on ground observations and radar, the tornado likely developed over Lake

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 30, 12:54 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 89 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 744 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 86 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

472 
WFUS52 KCAE 302044
TORCAE
SCC017-027-085-302115-
/O.NEW.KCAE.TO.W.0010.250530T2044Z-250530T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Columbia SC
444 PM EDT Fri May 30 2025

The National Weather Service in Columbia has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  East central Calhoun County in central South Carolina...
  Southwestern Clarendon County in central South Carolina...
  Southwestern Sumter County in central South Carolina...

* Until 515 PM EDT.

* At 443 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over St. Matthews, or 10 miles northeast of Brookdale,
  moving east 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...
  Summerton around 500 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include Poplar
Creek Landing, Rimini, St. Paul, Creston, Stumphole Landing, Lone
Star, Low Falls Landing, Paxville, and Pinewood.

This includes Interstate 95 between mile markers 102 and 107.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to an interior room or closet on the lowest floor of a
sturdy building immediately.

&&

LAT...LON 3350 8036 3352 8045 3354 8045 3354 8047
      3356 8048 3355 8051 3354 8051 3356 8054
      3356 8059 3362 8083 3372 8081 3374 8036
TIME...MOT...LOC 2043Z 278DEG 41KT 3366 8074 

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

$$

BC

1 follow-up statement

590 
WWUS52 KCAE 302055
SVSCAE

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Columbia SC
455 PM EDT Fri May 30 2025

SCC017-027-085-302115-
/O.CON.KCAE.TO.W.0010.000000T0000Z-250530T2115Z/
Calhoun SC-Clarendon SC-Sumter SC-
455 PM EDT Fri May 30 2025

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL CALHOUN...SOUTHWESTERN CLARENDON AND SOUTHWESTERN SUMTER
COUNTIES...

At 455 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 7 miles north of Elloree, or 17 miles northeast of
Brookdale, moving east 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...
  Summerton around 500 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include Poplar
Creek Landing, Rimini, St. Paul, Creston, Stumphole Landing, Lone
Star, Low Falls Landing, and Paxville.

This includes Interstate 95 between mile markers 102 and 107.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to an interior room or closet on the lowest floor of a
sturdy building immediately.

&&

LAT...LON 3350 8036 3352 8045 3354 8045 3354 8047
      3356 8048 3355 8051 3354 8051 3356 8054
      3356 8059 3358 8068 3370 8066 3374 8036
TIME...MOT...LOC 2055Z 278DEG 41KT 3364 8057 

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

$$

BC

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 30, 2:12 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	McCormick	48 min
May 30, 2:53 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Edgefield, McCormick, Saluda	52 min
May 30, 3:18 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Lancaster	42 min
May 30, 3:27 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Newberry	48 min
May 30, 3:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Richland and 1 more	41 min
May 30, 3:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Chesterfield, Lancaster	30 min
May 30, 4:10 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Aiken, Barnwell, Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland	50 min
May 30, 4:24 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Lancaster	51 min
May 30, 4:28 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Chesterfield	47 min
May 30, 4:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter	42 min
May 30, 4:34 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CAE	Aiken, Edgefield	88 min
May 30, 4:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CAE	Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg	44 min
May 30, 4:51 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Barnwell	39 min
May 30, 5:04 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	CAE	Clarendon	26 min
May 30, 5:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	CAE	Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, Sumter	46 min
May 30, 5:40 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Bamberg, Orangeburg	50 min
May 30, 6:23 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Lancaster	22 min
May 30, 6:48 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CAE	Lancaster	42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South Carolina, 2025 Every tornado warning in 2025 Tornadoes in 2025

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.