Tornado Watch Issued for Eastern Georgia and South Carolina due to Hurricane Helene

Strategic Insights -

A prolonged and increasingly strong tornado threat is expected to affect parts of Eastern Georgia and South Carolina as Hurricane Helene continues to intensify in the region. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has issued a *Tornado Watch* for areas that are approximately 70 miles east and west of a line from 35 miles south of Savannah, Georgia, to 30 miles north of Columbia, South Carolina.

Key Takeaways:

  • The tornado watch has been issued for a duration of 5.5 hours, from 8:30 AM EDT to 9:00 PM EDT, affecting areas in Eastern Georgia and Central and Southern South Carolina.
  • The primary threats associated with this watch include several tornadoes being likely, with the possibility of severe thunderstorms, hail, extreme turbulence, and surface wind gusts up to 60 knots.
  • The tornado watch area is defined as along and 70 statute miles east and west of a line from 35 miles south of Savannah, Georgia, to 30 miles north of Columbia, South Carolina.
  • Persons in these areas are advised to be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.
  • A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500 mean storm motion vector 16025 are expected to impact the region.
  • The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area, with actual details provided in the WOUS64 KWNS WOU4 watch outline update.

Statistics:

  • 90% probability of 2 or more tornadoes
  • 20% probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes
  • 10% probability of 10 or more severe wind events
  • 10% probability of 1 or more wind events 65 knots
  • 2 inches low probability

Sources:

  • US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (October 2024)
  • National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center (Norman, OK) - 830 AM EDT Thu Sep 26 2024